Chestnuts and Cherries
by Annie-chan
Summary: Status: Complete. Western Magic users, a forced engagement, a forbidden love triangle, and life lost are what a bewildered Marron Glace must grapple with in this tale of love and jealousy.
1. East Meets West

**Author's Notes:**  I know some of you have been waiting for this for quite a while.  I've told a few of my personal friends about this idea, and they seemed eager to read it.  Well, I finally started writing it! ^_^  This is my first _Bakuretsu Hunters_ fic, and (which shouldn't surprise all of you who know I absolutely adore Marron Glace) it's Marron-centric.  I guess you could say this is based on the manga, not the anime (I prefer the manga…it's one of the funniest things I've read in my life, I swear!), but I don't think it really matters, as this takes place after both the anime and manga, and probably won't pertain much to either (besides the characters' past activities and such, of course).  If you want a reference as to how old the main group of Sorcerer Hunters are, the Glace Brothers are in their early twenties.  Figure it out from there, as I don't wanna take the time to.  I'm lazy.

_Bakuretsu_/_Sorcerer Hunters_ doesn't belong to me, but to Akahori Satoru, Omishi Ray, TOKYOPOP, Mixx Entertainment, Media Works, ADV Films, and anyone else I forgot to mention.  No profit is being made off this fic, and I have very little money anyway, so suing me is like trying to catch a sunbeam.  I've tried the latter, and it doesn't work. -_-

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter One:  East Meets West 

Marron Glace went through the trees at a half-run, trying to find some sign of his companions without giving his position away to potential enemies, his expression less than happy.  They were on the last leg of the job Big Mama had sent them on, and all that was left was to eliminate the Sorcerer.  Things had gotten out of hand, and all five of them had been separated.  Whether any of the others had found each other or not was unknown to him.  They weren't in any more trouble than they usually got into on a job, but they had still managed to get themselves into hot water.

He cursed himself for forgetting to put any tracing spells on any of the others to help him find them when separated.  This would be so much easier if he had.

He flipped his pitch-black hair out of his eyes as he went.  He had no intention of cutting it, but it did get in the way sometimes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Somewhere nearby, a lone figure walked slowly and quietly through the forest.  They seemed to be in no hurry, and had not noticed the cat-and-mouse game played by the six individuals scattered about the forest around them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Ouch…" Marron gritted absentmindedly, rubbing his wrist as he glanced around.  He had apparently found the Sorcerer, as he had suddenly found a rather unfriendly-looking attack spell rocketing toward him through the trees, and had had to throw himself to the ground to avoid it.  In doing so, he had banged his wrist and hand on an unfortunately placed dead branch.

He swore under his breath as he found no visual sign where the Sorcerer was.  If the Sorcerer could see him and he couldn't see the Sorcerer, things were quite out of his favor.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The lone figure stopped as they heard the report of the spell aimed for Marron.  They seemed to hesitate to go on for a minute, then they started walking again, as if nothing was wrong.  No matter that they were walking straight toward where the sound had come from.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Marron clenched his teeth as he ran.  This Sorcerer was an obvious coward.  He had had no qualms about attacking Marron while he couldn't be seen, but when Marron finally found him, he had turned tail and ran, instead of standing up and fighting.  Marron was now in pursuit of his opponent, and was running through the possibilities in his head of how to eliminate him as quickly as possible once he caught up to him.  He had acquired so many offensive spells in his years as a Sorcerer Hunter…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Carrot's search for his brother and his friends had turned up fruitless until he saw a streak of color flash through the trees a little ways away, followed by a streak of black and white.  It was the Sorcerer followed closely by his tenacious younger brother.

_Aha!_ he thought.  _I can head them off and give Marron a chance to finish him off!_

He took off into the trees at top speed, closing the space between himself and the two others quickly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The lone figure continued on their way, ignoring the sounds of pursuit and conflict in the trees ahead.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Carrot had finally caught up with the Sorcerer, intending to keep him from going any further so Marron had a chance to attack.  What he hadn't counted on, though, was the Sorcerer grabbing up a large stick from the ground and bashing him over the head with it.

Everything went black.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Marron was beginning to wonder if the Sorcerer was heading anywhere in particular when he heard his brother's voice through the trees up ahead.

"Aha! Got y—OW!"  The "ow" was simultaneous with a loud _crack_, followed quickly with the sound of a body hitting the forest floor.

Marron burst through the row of wild hedge that was between him and his brother's voice, and found that the Sorcerer had stopped, breathing hard.  He was holding a large stick in his hands, and was standing over Carrot's unconscious body.  Carrot had obviously taken a nasty blow to the head.

"How dare you…?" Marron practically hissed, the protectiveness he felt for Carrot rising up.  He had very little, if any, rhyme or reason where his loved ones were concerned, especially his brother.  Seeing any of them hurt brought out the little known and frightening rage that simmered deep beneath his calm exterior.

The Sorcerer whirled around at Marron's words, his eyes widening with fright.  Oh, yes, it was easy to terrorize a countryside from behind a flock of burly and brainless lackeys, but by himself, he was a complete milquetoast.  He suddenly grabbed up Carrot's still form and held a knife to his throat.  He had learned that magic was a dangerous thing to use against this young man, so wasn't about the try.

"Come any closer, and I'll kill him!" the Sorcerer shouted at the ebony and ivory figure who stood several feet away.  His voice was shaking with barely suppressed terror of his assailants.

Marron heard his words and felt something within him release, his black eyes narrowing to slits of glittering malice.  He felt the raw power flood his being and build underneath his skin.  Neatness be damned.  This bastard had to die.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The lone figure still continued walking, heedless of the voices they heard in the small clearing up ahead.  Even the scream of unleashed rage didn't stop them from pushing the branches aside and stepping through the trees…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Marron whirled around, teeth bared like a wolf's, toward the retreating Sorcerer.  He had managed to get Carrot away from his enemy, and now stood between the two, ready to slaughter the Sorcerer for daring to harm Carrot.

"P-please!" the Sorcerer pleaded, scrambling away from this monster.  "H-have mercy!"

"You had no mercy on the dozens of villagers who have died, thanks to your policies," Marron growled, well aware that he sounded like a wild beast in pursuit of prey.  "And now, you attack Carrot, my brother.  Mercy?  For you?  Don't be stupid."  His mouth stretched in something resembling a grin.  At times like these, he became completely insane.

The Sorcerer squeaked in terror, turned, and tried to run.  Tried, because he didn't get very far before Marron's power wrapped around him, tossing him up into the air.

Marron brought his hands together, calling up the power to summon the Hamato to his hands.  The powerful sword he had inherited from his past life as a god and prince fairly hummed in his grasp, reacting to its master's power and becoming like an extension of his own arm.

A battle cry escaped his throat as he slashed through the air in a wide arc, the sword, able to slice through practically anything, passed through the Sorcerer's body with barely any resistance.  He landed on one knee, the sword coming gently to rest on the grass before him, stained with his now dead enemy's blood.  As the two halves of the Sorcerer's body hit the ground, he glanced up…

…and froze.

The first thing his gaze had fallen on was a pair of heeled black boots standing perfectly still several feet in front of him.  His eyes widened impossibly.  There hadn't been anyone else here!  Was there…?  As he stood up almost numbly from his shock, his eyes traveled up the figure of the new arrival.  It was a woman, as still as a statue.  She did not move as he took in her long black dress and black cloak draped over her shoulders up to her expressionless face.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw the staff held in her right hand and the intricate gold pendant hanging from her neck.  A Western Magic user.  Seeing one of them, without any disguises, without any of their numerous methods to keep themselves hidden, was a very rare occurrence indeed.

She glanced down at herself and looked at her now blood-soaked clothing.  If he expected her to be disgusted or horrified, he was disappointed.  She merely looked herself over and shrugged minutely.

She walked toward him, stepping over the Sorcerer's remains as if they were nothing more than a pile of dirty laundry.  She did not look into his face, which was still wearing a look of utmost surprise.  When she got to him, she stopped, staring past him but speaking to him.

"You're the one I've been looking for."  Her voice was meant to be deadpan, but he could detect a note of deep sadness under the surface.  She continued past him, inadvertently brushing him as she passed.  He shivered slightly.  Was that a reaction caused by their opposite powers?  Or, was it something else…?

He felt himself drop to his knees as he came back to himself, his bloodstained clothes clinging to his skin.  His encounter with that girl seemed like a dream…had it been real at all?  Was it a hallucination brought on by his violent emotions?

"Carrot!"

"Darling!"

Marron turned his head at the two cries as Tira and Chocolat burst into the clearing.  They rushed over to the prone Sorcerer Hunter.  Gateau came through the trees a few seconds later, looking hardly less agitated.  They had all heard the screams, and had come running.

As Tira and Chocolat fussed over Carrot, Tira starting to cast a healing spell on the bump on his head, Gateau knelt down in front of Marron and put a hand on his shoulder.  Marron, who still looked a little dizzy, turned his eyes to him.

"Hey…you all right…?" his body-builder companion asked, his eyebrows slightly furrowed with worry.

Marron shook his head sharply and blinked, clearing his head.  "Yeah…I'm fine," he replied.  He stood up and brushed himself off.  The Hamato, which had fallen to the ground beside him, had disappeared back into the small nook in his spirit where he kept it for when he needed it.

As the started back toward the nearest town to rest up before going back to Eden—Tira and Chocolat dragging along a still disoriented Carrot—he walked a little ahead of them, so he didn't see the concerned glances passed between the others and thrown in his direction.

The others felt disconcerted.  Marron may come out of a job injured or exhausted, but never looking like he had just had a befuddlement spell cast on him.  Something was definitely not right.

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  There we go.  I'm glad I finally got to writing this first chapter.  I'll try to update frequently, but I may not, depending on how busy I am.  For those of you waiting for me to start that original fic idea I talked about, I'll start that soon, I promise!  Anyway, did you all like this first chapter?  Do you wanna read more?  Please let me know!  I love to hear feedback from my readers, especially if you really like what I write! ^_^  Let me know either in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	2. Surprise Encounter

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Some of the responses to chapter one mentioned that it was thought that the Sorcerers used Western Magic, as opposed to Marron's Eastern Magic.  Yes, a lot of the Sorcerers are very much rooted in Western folklore, but I've seen Eastern influences in many.  Besides, it is never actually named "Western Magic", just "magic".  In any case, I was planning on having Big Mama explain it, so just read what she has to say.

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter Two:  Surprise Encounter 

Marron sighed as he leaned on the windowsill, watching Carrot, Tira, and Chocolat out on the grass.  Carrot still hadn't given up his skirt-chasing, and the girls still hadn't given up on Carrot.  Marron, whom many found hard to believe was the younger brother, still found this to be less than tasteful.  However, he knew that interfering was like sticking his hand in a hungry bear's face.  He'd rather keep all his limbs, thanks.

He wondered vaguely if it would ever be resolved.  Logic said that this couldn't last forever, that _something_ would have to change in the future, but it had been going on so long, it seemed hard to think of it ending.  Perhaps Carrot would realize feelings for one of the girls, or one or both girls would realize Carrot wasn't the one for them, or what, Marron didn't know.

_Wait and see, I guess_, he thought.  The next thought popping into his head startled him a little bit.  _I wonder if and when I'll find love…_

He blinked.  He wasn't love-starved, nor was he in a hurry to hook up with someone.  He had his work, his friends, and his family; it's not like he wasn't happy.  He didn't _need_ to find companionship, and when it came to girls, he just couldn't see himself with someone he didn't truly care about.  Carrot had once mentioned that, due to his looks and the fact that almost every girl who saw him blushed if he looked at them, he could probably have any girl he wanted.  Marron had replied that he wasn't really interested in that, and that he barely noticed the girls staring after him anymore, as it happened so often.  That had prompted Carrot to question if Marron had any hormones at all.  Marron had replied that he'd rather be seen as frigid than act against his feelings.

A memory wormed its way to his attention, and he felt his eyebrows arch down just the tiniest bit.  Tira and Chocolat had once asked him—when no one else was around, as to not embarrass him—if he was gay.  Before he could answer, Tira had hastily said that, his seemingly total lack of interest in girls, especially considering he had them staring at him wherever he went, had made them wonder.  Plus, there were his looks, which were rather effeminate, even considering that he got his looks from his mother.  He had merely looked them both straight in the eyes, said "no" in a flat tone, and returned to the book he had been reading.  They had left after that.  It didn't really bother him, but it reminded him of another problem he had.

Gateau was very obviously bisexual.  He had a healthy respect for beauty in both sexes, and though he was quite attracted to girls, the person he mostly focused on was Marron.  Marron didn't have anything against homosexuals or bisexuals, but Gateau was rather tenacious in his interest in Marron.  He hit on him often, usually embarrassing Marron to no end, prompting the black-eyed man to move away.  In fact, that's usually what he did:  simply walked away.  No rebuff, no rejection, just walked away.  On one hand, Marron regretted that, as he probably could have stopped this long ago if he had made it clear that the attention was unwanted, but on the other hand, he had always been hesitant to tell off those close to him about anything (unless it was Carrot being wimpy about something).  This was no exception.

_Either he doesn't know I'm straight, or he doesn't care_, Marron mused, watching Carrot get beat by the two sisters.  _If he doesn't care, than it's likely it's nothing serious, and he's just playing around._  He frowned, not happy with the direction of this train of thought.  _But, if he doesn't know, he could be very serious about wanting to…be with me._

Marron shook his head.  He didn't want to think about that.  It would ultimately end with Marron rejecting Gateau, no matter how long it took him to do so, and Gateau would be hurt.  Marron loathed the thought of hurting one of his closest friends like that.

He was still thinking about it when Daughter came to tell him Big Mama wanted him and the other four in her audience room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Your mission is simple, really, since I thought you'd need a break after that unusually difficult mission I sent you on last," Mama told them, that ever-present smile on her face.  "You will not be going after any Sorcerers this time, but getting an artifact for me.  You are to go to a rendezvous point and receive the artifact from the one who meets you there, and bring it back to me."

"Who are we getting it from?" Tira asked.

"I do not know their name," Mama replied, "but I do know they are a member of the group of Western Magic users who found the artifact and thought I would be the best one to take care of it."  She paused when she saw the Hunters' reactions.  "It seems Marron is the only one who doesn't look confused," she said, still smiling.

"What else is new…?" Carrot muttered.

"Well, you all are very close to a practitioner of Eastern Magic," Mama said.  "Surely, you can't be so surprised at learning of Western Magic users, could you?"

The Hunters, save Marron, all looked a little sheepish.  It was a logical assumption.  Mama continued.

"There is magic originating from all corners of this world," she said.  "But, the strongest and most common magic originates out of the East and the West.  Sorcerers tend to gravitate more towards magic coming from the West, but it is very rare that they don't use at least some magic coming from the East as well.  There is a small minority that focus more on magic from the East than from the West."

"Lady Sha from Shang-Shanghai a few years back was one of them," Marron mentioned.

"Right," Mama replied.  "In any case, nearly all Sorcerers use mixed magic, and to what extent depends on the individual.  But, there are two groups of non-Sorcerers that tend to stay out of the Sorcerer-Parsoner conflict, and that specialize in magic purely from one region alone.  Those are the Eastern Magic users and the Western Magic users.  There are varying reasons why each member of these groups does so, but they have become experts at utilizing the strengths of their respective fields of practice without bringing in elements of the other to help.  Marron is very familiar with this concept."

Marron nodded.  He had trained for years in Eastern Magic, and knew how to fight extremely well without any help from the West.

"You said that those two groups usually keep to themselves," Tira said, "although people see Eastern Magic users often enough to know they are there.  But, how come we've never seen any Western Magic users?  I didn't even really know they existed until a few minutes ago."

The Western Magic users are a secret society," Mama explained.  "It is said that they do it out of necessity.  The fact that Sorcerers tend to gravitate toward Western-based magic has given magic from the West a bad name in the minds of many Parsoners, some of which call it "Black Magic".  A practitioner of purely Western Magic could be persecuted, and the society doesn't want that.  So, for most of their existence, they have been almost completely sealed off from the knowledge of the common man.  Though they would happily accept anyone from "the Outside" as they call it, the inductee would be sworn to secrecy, and more often than not, they would leave wherever they lived before and take up residence in one of the many secret villages of the Western Magic users."

"I saw one, about a month or so ago," Marron said slowly.  "She was undisguised, which caught me off guard enough to render me speechless.  The only reason I recognized her as a Western Magic user was the staff in her hand and the pendant hanging from her neck.  I had seen drawings of them in a very old library book, which was the only book with information about their society I had ever seen.  The book was extremely sparse on details.  She was wearing all black, but I don't know if that had anything to do with being a Western Magic user."

Big Mama nodded.  "When in their secret villages, the Western Magic users all wear a gold pendant carved in the shape of their emblem around their neck.  They also carry staffs, the color of the stone on top indicating how advanced in the field they are."

"The stone on this girl's staff was white," Marron said.  "It was almost clear."

"Hmm," Mama mused.  "I don't know if she is high or low, as I know nothing of what color matches what level."

"If these Western Magic users are such a secret society," Carrot asked, "then how do you know all this, Big Mama?"

"I am only giving you surface details," Mama replied.  "I have had dealings with them—secret dealings, as they insisted—for many of them sympathize with our cause, and wish to help.  Many times, they have given me some artifact they have found, like I am having you pick up for me, as I have other more important affairs to attend to right now.  The artifacts usually can either help or hurt the Sorcerer Hunters' cause.  The artifacts that can hurt the cause are given to me so I can seal them off somewhere, so they aren't dangerous anymore.  Those that can help are given to me for obvious reasons.  In any case, I only know a little bit about what the Western Magic users are and why they are a secret society.  There is so much more that I don't know, and that I won't find out."

The Sorcerer Hunters didn't really respond, still digesting the recently acquired information.

"Now, off with you!" Big Mama said cheerfully as Daughter handed Carrot a small roll of paper with the rendezvous point and directions to get there on it.  "You don't want to keep the emissary waiting!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The Sorcerer Hunters had been waiting at the rendezvous point for about ten minutes now.  They were about half a mile into a forest about two miles from Eden, and the moon was up.  Chocolat and Tira had been speculating about Western Magic users (Marron had to remind them that they weren't to go spreading rumors), Marron was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, and Carrot and Gateau mostly looked bored.

"Hey," Carrot said, pointing down a shallow slope.  "Someone's heading up here."

The all looked.  A small figure was slowly walking up to them, and would be there in less than two minutes.  They were fairly small and narrow-shouldered, suggesting it was a woman or girl.  That was all they could make out, as the figure was wearing a black cloak that covered them from head to toe.  Their face was hidden beneath the hood, and their hands were wearing black gloves.  In one hand, they carried a staff with a straight, thin black handle, a cantaloupe-sized clearish-whitish orb sitting on top with seemingly no support.  In the other hand was a small parcel wrapped in brown paper and tied with black thread.

Marron was reminded of the girl he had seen in the woods a few weeks ago.

Carrot stepped forward.  Despite his lack of leadership skills, he _was_ counted the leader of this group of five, for some unknown reason.

"Are you the one we were supposed to meet and receive an item for Big Mama?" Carrot asked, in one of his very rare moments of semi-seriousness.

The person nodded, not speaking.  They were about to hand the package to Carrot when Marron straightened up from leaning against the tree and took a few steps toward his brother and the Western Magic emissary.  The person froze, a gasp escaping their lips.

Marron tilted his head.  "Is something wrong…?"

"You…" the person said.  "It's…you!"

"What?" Marron asked, eyes going wide as he recognized the voice.  It was the same girl he met in the woods!  "What's me?  You're acting as if I'm something you're afraid of…"

The girl shook her head vigorously.  "No, no…that's not it…"  She suddenly shoved the package at Carrot, turned, and fled down the hill.

"Hey!" Marron cried, springing forward.  "Wait!  Don't go!  STOP!"  It was too late.  As soon she had gotten to the bottom of the shallow slope, she seemed to disappear into thin air as her black clothing blended into the deep shadows of the moonlit forest.  Marron stopped and stared after her.

Chocolat and Tira didn't seem to know what to say.

"What the hell was that about…?" Carrot muttered, now staring down at the package as if it might have some kind of creature inside it.

"Marron," Gateau, who was standing a little behind everyone else, asked.  "Who was that?"

Marron shook his head slowly.  "I…I don't know…"  He was positive that girl was the girl he met about a month ago.  He didn't know how he recognized her voice, as she had said very few words to him both this time and last time, but he was sure beyond a doubt that they were the same person.

His eyebrows arched together.  _She seems afraid of me, or at least anxious to avoid me_, he thought.  His jaw tightened.  _But, why?  Who is she…?_

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Argh…this should have been done a week ago.  But, I was busy two weeks ago, so I started another chapter fic I'm working on a week late, making this update a week late…*sigh*  Oh, well.  That's how the cookie crumbles, I guess.  Anyway, did you all like this?  I hope so!  I also hope my explanation about Western Magic was satisfactory!  Please send me any thoughts or comments (no outright flames, please…they are the essence of rudeness) by way of a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	3. A Proper Introduction

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  It seems I have at least one gutter-minded reader (gee, big surprise -_-).  Recently, someone (I won't give their name…they know who they are) reviewed saying that they were confused why I'd name a story after certain parts of the male and female anatomy, then rate it PG13.  The thing is, that's a mistake.  Okay, no big deal, I can see where the misunderstanding would be, so I emailed back and politely explained that that is _not_ what "Chestnuts and Cherries" means, and that the title is the English meanings of the names of this fic's two main characters ("le marron" and "la cerise" are French for "chestnut" and "cherry", respectively—I named the girl after a food like many of the _SH_ characters, and I thought "Cerise" would be pretty).  Now, I wouldn't be pissed-off like I am if the person hadn't had the stones to email me back saying that the title _still_ meant sexual organs, whether I meant it to or not, as if the author's intentions mean nothing.  Excuse me, but I thought the meaning of a title, as well as the rest of a story, were all what the author intended, not the interpretation of some oversexed nitwit who can't get their head out of the toilet.  Come on, people, let's inject some intelligence into our thought processes, ne?  If I just offended the person in question, I'm glad.  I was certainly _very_ offended by their bullheaded assertion that _they_ knew best, and what I intended is moot.

On a happier note:  I'm sorry if my explanation of Western Magic wasn't up to par in the last chapter! ^_^;;  Call it a "what if?" story if you'd like, because my explanation was purely to fit the idea behind this fic.  I really don't think it fits with what Omishi-sama and Akahori-sama created at all. ^_^;;  Gomen nasai! *bow*

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter Three:  A Proper Introduction 

It had been about a week since the second (very brief) meeting with the Western Magic girl.  Marron had been going about his daily business normally, but he sometimes found his thoughts lingering on her.  Who was she?  What kind of person was she?  What was she like?  Did she have any family?  Did she have any pets?  Was she dedicated to her craft, or one of the more laid-back ones?  Was she—

Marron shook his head.  He was doing it again.  All questions, and not one shred of an answer.  It didn't disrupt his activities, but it gnawed on the edge of his awareness like the buzz of fruit flies.  Sooner or later, he imagined, he'd have to either satisfy his curiosity, or find some way to erase it altogether.

He was currently wandering the town of Umbar, people-watching.  They had finished a mission just this morning, and were going to head back to Eden tomorrow.  Marron found himself in an open market, and decided to window shop for a while.  He didn't have any intention to buy anything, but something may catch his fancy.  He had nothing else to do at the moment, anyway.

He was just passing through an area of the market were fruit sellers apparently congregated, when he turned the corner in the road and promptly ran into someone running the other direction.  Marron reeled back a step, and the other person fell down to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" they both said at once.  Marron extended his hand to help the person up, and felt his whole body go numb for a split second when he got a good look at them.  "You…"

The person, a girl, looked up at his voice, and froze for a second.  It was that same girl, only this time, she was in Parsoner clothes.  Her hair was held back in barrettes, and she hadn't the morbid, gloomy look she had had when he first saw her over a month ago.  She looked more…normal.

"Uh…" Marron floundered, kneeling down in front of her and extending his hand again.

The girl jumped up, as if afraid to have him touch her.  To Marron's dismay, she ran, much like she did a week ago.  He set his jaw and mentally growled.  _I'm not letting you get away from me this time!_  He surged to his feet, running after her at full speed.  He was a fast runner, due to his height and the shape his body was in, and he saw he was closing the space between them slowly but surely.

Then ran out of the small town toward the tree line.  He was close enough to touch her, and he reached out and grabbed her wrist, attempting to stop her without using force.  She squealed and tried to shake him off, but lost her footing and stumbled down to the ground, bringing him down on top of her.  She immediately tried to throw him off, but he got a hold of her other wrist and pinned her down.

"Wait!" he said as she tried to squirm away.  "Please, I just want to ask you a few questions!"  She stilled and looked at him, giving him the odd impression she was somehow evaluating him.  "Just promise me you won't run again, and I'll let you up," he said, gentler this time.

She closed her eyes and sighed, as if thinking it through.  Finally, after a short hesitation, she nodded, and he loosened his grip and sat up, letting her up as well.  She pushed herself into a sitting position, dusted herself off and waited for him to speak again.  He could tell she was very nervous, and he again wondered why he seemed to have that affect on her.

"First, tell me your name," Marron said.  "If it makes you feel better, I'll give you mine first.  I'm Marron Glace."

After another short hesitation, she gave hers.  "My name is Cerise Gateau."

"Cerise…" he repeated, smiling.  "That's a pretty name."  He wanted her to feel comfortable, as she most certainly was not at the moment, so he tried to be as friendly as possible.  He was relieved to see a small smile flit across her face.  Perhaps she wasn't as intimidated by him as he feared.  He suddenly realized what she said.  "Gateau?  I have a friend with that name!  It's his first name, though.  He and I go back several years."

"Are you close?" she asked quietly.

"I guess," he shrugged.  "We work together, so we're in close proximity a lot.  He's a very friendly person, but he can get a little overbearing at times."  He figured he shouldn't mention just in what way he got overbearing.  This girl may not tolerate people with Gateau's romantic preferences, and there was no need to mention them unless the two were going to meet.  It didn't really matter who Gateau was attracted to at this point, anyway.

"I see," Cerise said, absentmindedly fiddling with a gold band fitted snugly over her forearm, hidden from his view the first few times he had seen her by her cloak and long sleeves.  He noticed the intricate carving on it, and recognized it as the engagement band many Sorcerers in this region were in the habit of giving to their fiancées upon the decision to marry.  Some Sorcerers and Sorceresses didn't like them, as they resembled slave armlets, but the Sorcerers who made or bought them to give to their future wives argued that no slave armlet would ever be so elaborately decorated.  After all, they said, another way of indicating a slave was a collar, and that didn't stop ladies from wearing choker necklaces, now did it?

"I see you're engaged," Marron said, trying to sound amicable.  "Is the wedding soon?"  He was a little surprised to find an engagement band on the arm of a Parsoner girl, as marriage between Sorcerers and Parsoners was a bit of a rarity.  Then again, this girl was no ordinary Parsoner…

"Oh," she said, looking down at it, tracing one of the carved lines.  "I don't know.  We haven't set a date yet.  I think my fiancé would like to get the plans in motion, though.  Do you know of him?  He's Viande Mariné, the only son of a powerful Sorcerer in this area.  He's going to be quite talented himself, once he fleshes out his powers a little more."  As she spoke, she looked up at him and smiled, but he saw a glimmer of sadness deep in her eyes.  He opted not to mention it.  He didn't want to upset her.

"Yes, I know of the Mariné family," he nodded.  "I hear they generally don't like Parsoners at all, but they aren't nearly as cruel as some other Sorcerer families."  He didn't sound bitter or resentful, only thoughtful.

Silence fell, and they both seemed to be looking for something to say next when she spoke up.  "I suppose you want to know why I keep running from you," she said softly.  She had averted her eyes from him again.

Marron rubbed the back of his neck a little self-consciously.  "Well…yes, I do.  I frighten you, don't I?  And, I have no idea why.  I was hoping you could tell me."

Cerise sighed deeply, as if depressed.  He felt his eyebrows draw together in worry as she began.

"I don't want to be engaged to Viande," she started, speaking softly but clearly.  "We were engaged since before I was born.  Viande's father was told by a fortuneteller that the child that would be born to my parents would have an ability for strong magic, despite the fact that I would be a Parsoner, and that if they married me to their then-three-year-old son, our children would have the potential to be some of the most powerful in the world, even if I remained untrained.  So, Lord Mariné approached my parents and basically ordered them to promise my hand in marriage to his son.  He is the master of the region, so they couldn't say no without endangering their lives or risking me being kidnapped.  Lord Mariné had the good graces to make sure we weren't strangers, and Viande and I became good friends from playing together often, and he has since fallen in love with me, but I still only see him as a friend.  He is a very nice man, much nicer than his father and many others in his family that I've met.  But, I have never come to love him, though I am thankful I at least like him if he's to be my husband.  I'd much rather go free and marry whomever I choose instead of being bound from before birth by a greedy lord's ambitions for his son to "marry well", but I've resigned myself to my fate, and I'm determined to make the best of it and be as happy as I can…"  She trailed off, and began fingering the band around her arm again, tracing and retracing the delicate design etched into the gold.

"Well," Marron began, "I'm glad you've come to accept this, but that doesn't tell me anything about why you seem so scared of me."

"I'm not afraid of you," Cerise answered, even quieter than before.  "I'm afraid to _be_ with you."

"What…?" Marron asked, confused.  His eyebrows furrowed again.  "What do you mean?"

"Well…" she said, still not looking at him.  "You know I'm a practitioner of Western Magic, right…?"

Marron nodded.

"Well, you know more than Viande," Cerise explained.  "His father didn't want a Parsoner in his land to be skilled in magic, so he forbade me to develop my potential any.  But, my parents managed to get me accepted as a pupil by the Western Magic users when I was five, and I've been learning in secret.  Neither Viande nor his father know about it.  I can't tell you how I've hid it, for our vow of silence about our society includes our methods of secrecy.  But, all that is beside the point.  The point is, I have completed the fifteen years it takes to master the basics—which are much more extensive than "basic" implies—and it is time for me to choose an area to specialize in.  Since about a year ago, I have been visiting masters of different fields to see what most interests me.  About seven months ago, I went to a master seer, and as part of my little job-shadow, she did a reading on me.  The reading dismayed her and scared me.  She said I would never come to love Viande, but if I never met the man I was destined to love, I could at least be happy with him.  If I did meet that man, though…I would never rid myself of my longing to escape my fate to marry Viande and be with the one I truly loved.  I would be miserable for the rest of my life as the wife of a man I didn't love."  She bit her lower lip and squeezed her eyes shut.  "When I asked her who I was destined to love, the man she showed me an image of was…" she took a deep breath, "…you, Marron Glace."

Marron felt his eyes widen and his eyebrows arch downward.  He had never been clear on whether he believed in predestined love or not, but Cerise obviously did.  And, if they really were destined to love each other, Cerise was certainly up a creek.  So, _that's_ why she had wanted to avoid him at all costs, and he had chased her down and forced her to face him.

"I'm sorry…" he murmured, ashamed.  "You tried to avoid me altogether, and all I did was force you into meeting me properly.  It's my fault—"

"No," she interrupted.  "My happiness wasn't determined over whether you and I met properly, but whether we met at all.  It was too late the moment we laid eyes on each other in the woods a few weeks ago.  I heard clearly the sound of you confronting that Sorcerer, but something drew me toward you, the thought to avoid possible danger not entering my mind at all.  It wasn't until I saw you that I knew what.  I felt joy at seeing you, my destined love, but I also felt sadness and something akin to panic.  I knew that I would be unhappy in marrying Viande, because I had met you.  The second time we met, it was as if outside forces were pulling us together, further driving the nail home, and I fled in a panic.  Same with a little while ago.  I saw you, and could only think of running."

"I see," Marron said softly.  The concept of them being fated to love each other was still hard to believe, but with every word she said, it got more and more real-seeming.  He was becoming more and more convinced that something terrible would come of this.  Not only would Cerise be miserable married to Viande instead of free to love Marron, but if Viande found out, he would most likely be very jealous.  Marron didn't like stereotypes, but he knew that Sorcerers seemed to be much more possessive of their mates, Sorcerer or Parsoner, than the Parsoners.  It didn't matter how nice this Viande was; his jealousy could be deadly.

A hand on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts.  He looked up to see Cerise looking at him, her eyes intense.

"Please," she said, "please, help me out of this.  I was determined to be happy with Viande, but it's far too late, now that I've met you.  I want to be free of this engagement.  I want to be free to love the man I choose, free to love you."  Her eyes started to glisten, as if she was holding back tears.  "I'll do anything to be with you!  Anything at all!  Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it!"  Her words had become shaky, and the way she clutched the fabric over his shoulder was desperate.

Marron stared back at her, a little startled by her sudden plea to him.  It was painfully obvious that she loved him, despite being with him for a total less than even an hour, but he himself felt only confusion.  He opened his mouth to say he knew not what, and felt a surprised jolt shiver through him when she suddenly leaned forward and touched her lips to his.

The kiss was gentle, soft, but determined.  He sat there a moment, stunned at her action, his eyes wide, an unfamiliar but not wholly unwelcome emotion beginning to make itself known within him.  He found himself kissing back, only a little more forceful than her tender caress, and when it hit him, he almost pulled back in complete shock.  That master seer was right.  They _were_ destined to love one another, and oh, what a sweet feeling it was.

Their lips lingered together for a few moments, then separated, both of them panting lightly.  It was then that he knew.  There was no way…no way in _Hell_ he would let another man have her.  He would fight to the death to keep her from marrying a man she didn't love, and he was willing to pull out all the stops, even cheat, to keep her.  It was funny…mere minutes ago, he had not been sure if he believed in love at first sight, and now, it had grabbed hold of him and had him in a grip so strong he knew it would never let him go.

"All right," he whispered, almost purring.  He reached up and gently petted her cheek.  "I will help you."

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Well, this is a little late, but I'm done with chapter three.  I hope you all realize this is most definitely _not_ a Mary Sue.  I love Marron, but I absolutely loathe self-inclusions (unless it's a parody with the author having fun at the poor characters' expense), and I wouldn't be caught dead writing one.  Cerise is nothing like me, save that we're both girls, and we both can have rather sullen episodes.  However, that hardly indicates me, as I'm sure there are tons of doom-and-gloom girls out there like me. ^_^;;  Anyway, now that you know that, I hope you like this new chapter!  Let me know what you think in a review or at mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!  And, if you want to flame me for bashing that person in the author's notes before the chapter (I admit I was rather mean there), you needn't bother.  In fact, if you want to, you should go right ahead.  I certainly don't appreciate flames, but if I intentionally do something that might get me some, I've got enough spine to face up to the consequences.  Just keep in mind that all flames will be dutifully ignored.


	4. Love and Friendship

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Yet another IMPORTANT NOTE:  Please disregard the flame at the beginning of the last chapter.  Blue Pard and I have apologized to each other, and I don't want anyone thinking I harbor any hard feelings.

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter Four:  Love and Friendship 

"Do you think they'll like me?"

Marron looked back to Cerise, who was walking a few steps behind him.  They were going back to the inn the Sorcerer Hunters were staying at on the south side of Umbar.  The next morning, they would all head back to Eden, Cerise with them.  That is, as long as everything went well.

"They'll love you," Marron replied with a gentle smile.  "We're may seem a little intimidating as a group, but we're all very friendly, in our own ways.  Just be yourself, and they'll warm up to you in no time.  We're a motley crew, so it doesn't matter that you're a little different from everyone else.  We're _all_ a little—or a lot—different than everyone else."

She smiled shyly back at him.  "What's everyone like?" she asked after a short pause.  "You've told me their names, but not much about them."

"Well," Marron began, "Carrot is my older brother, though most people find it hard to believe that he is older than me.  Not only is he smaller than me, but he acts less…adult.  He tends to chase girls around whenever he sees them, campaigning for a date.  It causes me no little embarrassment, but I've learned to deal with it."  He smiled a little self-consciously while Cerise giggled.  "Chocolat is one of the two girls in our group of five.  She has a screaming crush on Carrot, and chases him around as much as he chases other girls around.  Her younger sister is Tira, the other girl, who's also attracted to Carrot, though not so openly.  Chocolat is very brazen and assertive, while Tira is more reserved and thinks her motions through before she acts.  I find it ironic that the two girls that would go out with Carrot without even a second's thought are the _only_ two girls that he does _not_ want to find himself on a date with.  Their indignity with Carrot's skirt-chasing scares him away."  Cerise laughed outright, and he smiled again before continuing.  "The last person in our group is Gateau, the one I first mentioned to you.  He's a bodybuilding strongman and a blatant exhibitionist, and that can get a little tiring at times, but his incredible strength comes in very handy when hunting a Sorcerer.  He has a big heart, and he's cares a lot about us all, including his younger sister, Éclair, who belongs to another group of Sorcerer Hunters."  He stopped and looked away, uneasy.  "There's also something else you should know about him."

"What's that?" Cerise asked, looking at him.  She was obviously curious.

"Well…ah…" Marron said.  Finally, after starting and stopping two or three times, he just came out and said it.  "Gateau's…attracted to me."  He watched Cerise out of the corner of his eye, not only to see her reaction to Gateau's sexual orientation, but also her reaction that someone else had their eyes on _her_ love, no matter who it was.  The latter agitated him much more than the former.  Gateau really didn't care whether people accepted his lifestyle or not, anyway.

"He is?" she said, looking surprised, but that was all.  She didn't look upset over either of the things Marron was nervous about, and that made him feel terribly relieved.  She looked down a moment later, looking saddened.  "Ah…I see…"

"Yes," Marron said softly.  "It's been obvious for years, and I've done nothing to make it clear to him that I don't…swing that way.  I'm not even sure if he's serious about me or not.  I mean, if he's serious, I would think he would have done something more by now than make comments about my looks and playful suggestions that we get into a relationship.  On the other hand, if he's _not_ serious, I would think he would have shown attraction to others besides me, and perhaps even lost interest in me and gone another direction."  He paused for a second.  "And, now that I've found you, I need to tell him once and for all to stop, instead of just ignoring him like I have.  He's one of my closest friends, and I not only don't like telling my friends off, but I'm afraid of what might happen.  If he's not serious, he may just shrug it off and go find someone else to bother.  But if he is serious about me, my rejection could really hurt his feelings, and it may spell an end to our friendship.  Plus," he looked at her, "he may not be very friendly toward you at all."

"I see," Cerise said after he finished, her tone indicating she was speaking half to herself.  "What an unhappy circumstance."  She looked up to him again, smiling.  "Well, I'll just have to make it clear I want to be his friend, and we can hope for the best, right?"

"Right," Marron agreed, though he wasn't looking at her.  He did hope very much for the best, but a queasy feeling of dread had situated himself in his stomach, and he couldn't shake his nervousness one bit.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hey, Marron's back," Chocolat said to the other three.  Tira, Gateau, and Carrot were sitting around a coffee table in the inn's common room playing cards, and Chocolat was sitting in an easy chair nearby with one of the innkeeper's cats on her lap.  She could easily see out door that led into the large dining area, and spied their second-youngest member coming through the front door.  "He's brought someone with him, too."

The other three turned to see what she was talking about, and Marron reentered after nearly two hours gone.  Sure enough, there was another person a step or two behind him.

"Wow!" Carrot exclaimed, jumping up when he saw Cerise.  "A BABE!"  He bounded over to her.  "Miss…!"

"CARROT!" Tira shouted at their hormone-happy leader.

"DARLING!" Chocolat screeched at the same time.  Both girls were on their feet to keep Carrot away from the new girl, but it was obvious after a second that they didn't have to.

Marron's hand came down hard on Carrot's shoulder as he passed him, stopping the older Glace brother in his tracks.  Carrot looked up, startled, and found himself staring straight into his brother's black eyes.  He gulped.  Marron had his warning look in his eyes that Carrot was sure he had never seen quite like this before.

"Back.  Off." Marron said.  His voice was his normal soft lilt, but there was a hardness underneath that got the point to Carrot quicker than Chocolat or Tira ever could.  He backed off in an instant, stunned momentarily.  His little brother had never done _that_ before…

"Are you Carrot, Marron's brother?" the girl asked with a friendly smile.  She held out her hand to Carrot.  "Nice to meet you!  I'm Cerise."

"Uh…hi, Cerise" Carrot responded, accepting her offered handshake.  "Yeah, I'm Carrot."

A few minutes later, introductions all taken care of, the six all sat down around the coffee table.  Marron and Cerise began to explain the situation, being thorough but trying not to go on for too long.

"And, that's how he came to bring me here," Cerise finished after a while.  She and Marron looked around to the others.

Silence.

"Wow," Carrot finally said.  "That was…unexpected."  The other three nodded.

"Predestined love," Chocolat sighed, looking dreamy.  "How romantic."  Both Marron and Cerise blushed, and Chocolat began staring at Carrot with a wistful expression on her face.  Carrot balked and looked like he wanted to run.

"Chocolat!" Tira hissed under her breath at her sister.  She looked at Marron and Cerise and smiled.  "Well, you guys could probably use some help in this.  Interfering with a Sorcerer's wedding plans isn't the safest thing, after all.  You can count on us to stand by you.  Right, guys?"  She looked at the other three, eyeing each of them through her round glasses in a way that said, "You'd better agree with me, or you can count on spending the next three months in traction."  Tira was obviously all in favor of Marron and Cerise as a couple.

The others nodded their assent, just as Carrot's stomach growled loudly.  He grinned sheepishly when they all looked at him.  "Well…it _is_ getting late…can we go get something to eat now?"

They filed through the door from the common room into the dining area a moment later.  A waitress told them she'd be with them in just a minute as they chose a table and sat down.

"Wait a minute," Chocolat said, looking around the table.  "Where'd Gateau get off to…?"

The others realized she was right.  There were only five of them there.  They looked toward the common room.

_Oh, no_, Marron thought, feeling ill.  Gateau had shown no approval or disapproval of Cerise in the common room, but that didn't mean he didn't have any reaction to her.  "I'll go see," he said, and stood up.  He managed to walk steadily, though he had a strong urge to sit down again.

He stood in the doorway to the common room and looked around.  Gateau wasn't by the coffee table anymore, nor was he anywhere else in the room.  Marron's gaze was drawn to the staircase at the back of the room.  It led up to the second floor and the rooms just as the larger staircase in the dining area did.  Without looking back at the others, he crossed the common room, looked up the stairs for a moment, then began to climb them.  With every step, the guilty feeling in his insides got stronger and stronger.

_How could you, Marron Glace?_ his conscience scolded him.  _He _is_ serious about you after all, and you have done nothing to discourage him, nothing to let him know you weren't interested in any relationship with him besides friendship.  You should have done something about this years ago.  You should have made it clear to him, let him down gently.  Instead, you strung him along, whether you meant to or not, and you've just suddenly let him drop.  What a friend you are._

Marron closed his eyes and paused at the top of the stairs.  The voice in his head was right.  He _had_ strung Gateau along for years, even though he hadn't done it intentionally.  He should have asserted his disinterest at the very beginning, but his cowardice over possibly hurting someone's feelings had made him just keep looking the other way, and now the let-down he had just given Gateau was worse than it ever would have been if he had made himself clear in the beginning.

He smiled bitterly.  _I guess inaction really _is_ the worst thing you can do with a problem_, he thought.  He found himself in front of a door.  As usual, their group had gotten two rooms, one for the guys and one for the girls.  He was standing in front of the guys' door, and he tentatively raised his hand and knocked.

He couldn't hear any movement through the thick wood of the door, but it opened half a minute later.  He found he couldn't look his taller companion in the eyes.

"What do you want, Marron?" Gateau asked.  There was no malice in his voice or the question.  In reality, he just sounded very tired.  A stab of guilt went through Marron's chest.

"May I come in?" he asked softly.

"Of course you can," Gateau replied, holding the door open and stepping out of the way.  "You're staying in this room, too, you know."

"I know," Marron said, walking into the room, still not looking at the blond man.  He tucked his smooth black hair behind his ears as he sat down in a chair he had pulled away from the small table that was in the room.  Gateau sat down on the bed nearest him.

"Why aren't you with the others?" Gateau asked.  "Aren't you hungry?"

"Yes," Marron replied.  "But, there's something more important than eating right now.  I…I have to talk to you."

Gateau suddenly stood up and walked over to the window, which overlooked the rooftop of the inn's stable.  "There's nothing to discuss," he said flatly.  "You aren't interested.  That's all."

"No, that is not all," Marron said, turning to look at him but not daring to come any closer.  "I have to apologize for—"

"Apologize?" Gateau interrupted.  "For what?  You obviously don't care about another's feelings.  You've ignored me for years, yet you gave me no reason to not keep going after you.  Now, you've let me drop like yesterday's garbage.  You want to apologize just to save your reputation as a nice guy."  Gateau now sounded extremely bitter.

Marron squeezed his eyes shut.  "That is not true, and you know it," he managed to reply.  His teeth were clenched loosely to keep his voice steady.  "You _know_ I could never be that callous toward someone."  He felt tears stinging his eyes at such an accusation.

Gateau sighed and let his head drop a bit.  After a few minutes, he whispered.  "I know, I know…you're the kindest, gentlest, most caring person I know.  I'm just surprised and upset that the most painful blow I've gotten in years came from you, of all people."  His voice was strained.

"I was afraid," Marron admitted.  "I could never really tell if you were really attracted to me, or if you were just playing around.  The truth is, I didn't really want to know.  That way, I could pretend you were just playing around, because I knew that if you were really attracted to me, then I'd someday have to let you down, tell you to leave me alone.  You know how much I hate hurting the feelings of others.  At the same time, I threw away the chance to tell you, to let you down easy, and now this has happened."  He bowed his head as well.  "I'm so sorry…"

Silence reigned for a few minutes, then Gateau spoke up again.  "So…you only like girls, then, huh…?"

"Yes," Marron answered.  "I should have made that clear, too…"

"Heh…" Gateau chuckled.  "To tell the truth, I was never really sure if you were straight or what you were.  You showed no interest in my advances, yet you showed no interest in girls, either.  You looking exactly like your mother, but with a definite masculine bent as well, didn't help.  You're the most beautiful man I've ever seen, and I couldn't help but be attracted to you."

"I'm sorry," Marron said again.  "Really, I am.  You're one of my dearest friends…I never wanted to hurt you…and look what I've done…!"  He felt about ready to cry, and rubbed at his eyes to discourage his tears from falling.

He felt a large, gentle hand on his shoulder, startling him into looking up again.  Gateau was standing over him, an oddly bittersweet smile on his face.  "We're both at fault," he said softly.  "You never made an effort to tell me, and I never made an effort to find out.  Now, we're both upset."  He stopped long enough to take a breath, and the sound of that breath gave Marron the impression that he was holding back tears as well.  "I can never hold it against you, though, Marron.  I love you…"

Marron felt a pain in his chest at those words, and he quickly turned away, hiding his face in his hands.  "I'm sorry…!" he murmured tightly.  "I don't deserve to call you a friend after what I've done!"

"But, I want you to," he heard Gateau say softly.  "If…if you won't call me your lover, I want you to at least call me your friend…"

Marron wouldn't look at him, nor would he speak for a few minutes.  His breathing was shaky, and he didn't trust his voice not to give out as soon as he tried to use it.  After a moment, though, he nodded.  "A-all right…if you'll let me…"  He sniffed and wiped his eyes.  "You…you're taking this much better than I had hoped you would.  I-I was afraid you wouldn't even let me speak to you after…after what I've done."  He stood up slowly and smoothed some stray wrinkles out of the front of his clothes.  "You really have a strong spirit if you are willing to take this…I'm so sorry…"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and another one under his chin, gently bringing his face up to meet Gateau's gaze.  They stared at each other for several long seconds, neither moving nor saying anything.  Marron felt his eyes widen a bit when Gateau leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

After the initial shock, he relaxed, neither responding nor pulling away.  The man in him would rather not be sharing a kiss with another man, but it was the least he could do after letting Gateau down so suddenly.

Gateau pulled back and backed away a few steps.  He then walked past him to the door.  "Come on…let's go join the others."

"Are you sure you're all right with this?" Marron asked, his voice timid.  "You…you don't have any hard feelings for Cerise?"

"No," Gateau shook his head.  "She had nothing to do with this, and she didn't know about me, anyway."

Marron looked down.

"I don't have any hard feelings for you, either," Gateau reassured.  "I've already told you, haven't I?  I could never hold anything against you, even if it does hurt.  I love you, so I wish you happiness.  I'm hurt that I'm not the one you've chosen, but I'm not going to throw a fit that you love someone else.  If I did that, if I insisted you should be with me, someone you don't love, it wouldn't really be love that I feel toward you."

Marron tucked his hair back again.  "You really do love me," he whispered softly, not looking him in the eyes.  "If you're willing to give me up so I have a chance to be happy…I don't deserve love like yours…"

"Sure you do," Gateau said.  "You deserve it more than anyone else I've met.  You care deeply for others, and I've never seen you put yourself before them even once.  Just because you love someone else is no reason for me to be bitter.  The regret you've shown at letting me down like this only reinforces that."  He walked back up to Marron and placed a hand on his shoulder again.  "I'll help you and Cerise get away from that Sorcerer she's engaged to.  I'll make sure you two are together as you want to be.  If you have to fight, I'll be fighting by your side all the way.  You have my word on it."

Marron allowed himself a small smile.  "Thank you…you're my dearest friend, Gateau.  I mean it."

"Glad to hear it," Gateau replied.  "Now, let's get back to the others.  They're probably wondering where we disappeared to."

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Sorry this is a little late.  I had a sever case of no motivation.  I knew what I wanted to write, but I just couldn't bring myself to sit down and do it for a few days.  I've noticed that the chapters are all longer than the one before it, and I don't know if that's going to keep up.  They might get shorter after a while, or they might get longer or stay the same…whatever.  I really have no idea. *shrug*  In any case, I hope you all like this one!  I hope I didn't get too wordy near the end, and that I got my point across that Gateau is stung by Marron's rejection, but wants to make the effort to keep their friendship alive.  Did I?  Please, tell me!  Let me know what you think in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!  Once again, please disregard the flame at the beginning of the last chapter.  Now that we've apologized, it's more an embarrassment than anything else. ^_^;;


	5. Scrying Glass

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter Five:  Scrying Glass 

The Sorcerer Hunters plus Cerise had returned to Eden.  Cerise, who had never been there before, stuck close to Marron, a little intimidated by the sheer size of the place.

"Hi, everyone!" Daughter squealed, popping up out of nowhere to greet them as they walked through the entrance hall.  "How'd it go?"

Cerise gave a little "eep!" of surprise and hid behind Marron.  She hadn't known what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't a little angel-like girl appearing out of thin air in front of them like that.  "Don't do that!"

"Aw, I'm sorry!" Daughter said, her elvish ears drooping a bit.  "I didn't know there was a new one here!"  She suddenly perked up and grinned cutely.  "I'm Daughter!  What's your name?"

"Er…" Cerise answered, a little taken aback by the girl's overly perky attitude and appearance.  "I'm Cerise…I met these five in Umbar."

"Ohh…" Daughter mused.  She looked at Marron, who was still half acting as a shield for Cerise.  "You know Parsoners aren't normally allowed here in Eden.  Why'd you bring her?"  There was no anger in her voice over Cerise's presence, merely a warning tone coupled with curiosity.

"That's something we have to discuss with Big Mama," Marron replied.  "Is she available to speak with?"

"Yep!" Daughter grinned.  "In fact, she knew you guys were coming, and is expecting you in her audience room!  C'mon!"  She turned around and floated down the hallway, leading the way to Big Mama, though the Sorcerer Hunters already knew the way very well.  It was a formality that had to be followed except in emergencies.  Daughter ushered people to and from the audience room to see Big Mama, as well as delivered summons when someone was needed.

As the Sorcerer Hunters followed, Cerise tugged at Marron's sleeve.  When he looked down, he saw that she looked a bit nervous.  "I've heard of Big Mama many times before," she whispered, "as you probably know, since I was the one picked to deliver that package to you guys a while ago, but I've never met or even seen her.  What's she like?"

"Don't be nervous," he reassured her.  "She's a divine being, and has a very grandiose appearance, but she's very friendly, and is never condescending.  Just be yourself, like you were when you met us, and she'll like you in no time, I'm sure."

"Okay," Cerise said, letting go of his sleeve.

When they got to the audience room doors, Daughter pushed them open and announced their arrival.

"Carrot, Marron, Chocolat, Tira, and Gateau are back, Mama," she said.  "They've brought a visitor, too.  They say they have something to discuss with you."

"I see," the woman on the dais against the opposite wall said.  Her looks reminded Cerise of some kind of goddess, and she immediately understood what Marron said about a grandiose appearance.  She had four people in ornate armor and cloaks standing beside and behind her, and she guessed that these four were the Haz Knights Marron had once mentioned on their way here.  "Very good, Daughter.  Thank you for bringing them to me as I asked."

Daughter beamed and floated over to Big Mama to take her place beside her.

"Your latest mission went well, I hope?" Mama asked.

"Better than expected," Tira answered, digging in her pockets for something.  "We got a Forbidden Magic item that we weren't looking for almost by accident.  Turns out that the Sorcerer we were after had it hidden away in his drawing room."  She handed what looked like a mini monolith with arcane symbols on it to Big Mama.

"Thank you, Tira," Mama replied with a smile.  "I'll make sure it's destroyed."  She handed it to one of the Haz Knights, then turned and eyed Cerise.  "Ah, it looks like you had another run-in with a Western Magic user, Marron," she said, noting Cerise's pendant and staff, as well as the way she stood close to the black-haired man.  "Is this the same girl you met a while ago?"

"Yes, Big Mama," Marron answered with a nod.  "She's in a bit of a jam, and I thought that we could help her out of it with a little effort and time."

"Oh?" Mama said, her eyebrows rising a little.  "And, what might that be?"

Marron took a deep breath and launched into the story of who she was, how they met, and the unique circumstances that made their acquaintance dangerous.  He went from start to finish, careful not to miss anything important.  When he was through, he watched Big Mama's reaction.

"I see," Big Mama said after thinking a moment.  "Predestined love is not something to be ignored or denied.  On the other hand, you are right that Sorcerers tend to be very possessive of their mates.  Breaking the engagement openly would not be wise, and could endanger both of you, as well as those around you.  It wouldn't be very fair to Cerise, either, if you two went somewhere that this Viande could never find her, as she does think of him as a good friend."  After thinking for another moment, she nodded.  "All right, I will give you my aid in absolving this predicament.  The hidden village at Saint Hordic Mountain will be the safest place for her at least until a feasible plan is laid out.  I advise you two to go there for now."  She looked at the other four with a smile.  "Why don't you go with them?  You haven't been back there for a while, and I'm sure you would all like to visit home again."

"Yeah!" Carrot said, grinning, at the same time the other three expressed their happiness.  Even though it wasn't often that they got to go to Saint Hordic Mountain, they still considered it their home.

"Good, that's settled," Big Mama said.  "You may all leave now, if you have nothing else to speak with me about."

"Um," Cerise piped up, sounded shy.  "I have something else to say…"

"Yes?" Mama asked.  "What is it, my dear?"

"Well…" Cerise said quietly, still a little intimidated by Eden and Mama and the Haz Knights.  "I mean…if it's possible…when this is over, I'd like to become a Sorcerer Hunter!"  She looked down, a blush coming to her cheeks.  "I mean…if you don't mind…"

Big Mama smiled appreciatively.  "Of course, Cerise!  We're always happy to bring in new members!  You just have to keep in mind that it's a full-time job, and it demands a very high commitment.  There is also the fact that you are a Western Magic user.  However, Marron has managed to split his time between his duties as a Sorcerer Hunter and as an Eastern Magic user with little conflict.  I'm sure you won't have any problem with it, either."

"I promise, Big Mama!" Cerise smiled, encouraged by her acceptance.  "I'll do my best!"

"Good," Big Mama nodded.  "Now, I suggest you all set off for Saint Hordic Mountain as soon as possible."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Cerise?" Marron asked tentatively.  "Are you all right?"

Cerise turned to look at Marron.  She was leaning on the guardrail on a balcony that was off the girls' room at the inn they were staying the night in.  The guy's room was next door, and he had probably come from there.  There was also a balcony leading off the guys' room, and he may have seen her from there as she was staring wistfully at the pretty colors in the sky caused by the sun as it neared the horizon.

"Oh, I'm fine, Marron," she replied with a smile.  She quickly reached out and caught her staff, which she had accidentally bumped as she turned, before it could fall to the ground.  She leaned it back up against the railing.  "I just love watching the sky sometimes.  It lets me forget my troubles for the time being."  He had walked up and put his hand on her shoulder.  She edged nearer to him.  "How far is it to Saint Hordic Mountain?" she asked.

"About three days, not counting how far we've traveled from Eden so far," he answered.  "Will Viande miss you?  When were you supposed to go back to him?"

"He shouldn't miss me until after we're there, then," she said.  "I was taking a two-month-long training journey, but he thinks I was visiting distant relatives on the other side of the continent.  I was going to head back to him in about a week if we hadn't met in Umbar."

"Ah," Marron said.  "That's good.  If all goes well, then, we should be in the Sorcerer Hunter village before he suspects anything."

"Right," she said.  "We'd be in big trouble if he used some kind of seeing device to check up on me, but he doesn't have any of those."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Father!  Look what I have!"

Lord Mariné turned to look at his son as he half-ran into the sitting room, an eager look on his face.

"Really, Viande," he admonished.  "You are nearly twenty-two years old, and yet you are acting like a child with a new toy."

"But, Father," said a still smiling Viande, "I _do_ have a new toy, in a way.  Look!"  He pulled a cloth-wrapped object from his belt and removed the soft covering, revealing a very recognizable object.

"A mirror," Lord Mariné said dully, not impressed.

"It's not just a mirror!" Viande laughed.  "It's a scrying glass!"

Lord Mariné eyed his son.  "That is a very rare magical item," he said.  "Very rare and very expensive.  How much did you pay for it?"

"I didn't," Viande replied.  "I won it in a bet with a Sorcerer from out of the area."

"I see," Lord Mariné said.  "Well, I would be skeptical of it's quality if someone was willing to wager it in a bet, but if it works, and you take good care of it, you're welcome to keep it for yourself."

"Thank you, Father," Viande said, smiling.  "He said it was simple to use.  I just have to think about who or what I want to see."  He thought for a minute, then his face lit up.  "I haven't seen my dear Cerise for nearly two months, and she won't begin her trip back here for another week.  Let's see how she's doing with her family."  As he spoke, his reflection in the mirror wavered, swirled, then dissolved into a completely different image.  Cerise was leaning on what looked like the wooden guardrail of a balcony, staring off into the distance.  He saw her from the side, so he couldn't see what she was looking at.  "Ah-ha!  See?  It works!"

"Yes," Lord Mariné said in agreement, but his eyebrows drew down.  "Look at what's leaning on the rail beside her, and what's hanging around her neck, Viande."

"A staff and a gold necklace," his son replied.  "So?"

"_Look_ at them, Viande!" Lord Mariné exclaimed.  "Only _one_ group in the world wears a necklace like that and carries that type of staff!  She's a Western Magic user!  She disobeyed my order that she not learn magic!"

"Oh, get off your high horse, Father!" Viande countered.  "Not developing potential like hers is a sin!  I was never happy that you had forbidden her to learn magic!  I'm glad she disobeyed you there!"

"Whether you are glad about it or not," Lord Mariné growled, "she must be punished for disobeying me!  Her parents as well.  They certainly had a hand in getting the Western Magic users to train her!"

"No!" Viande shouted.  "She is _my_ fiancée, and they are _my_ future parents-in-law!  They violated an order that I don't think you had any right to make in the first place!  They will _not_ be punished for this!"

Lord Mariné stared at his son for a moment, seemingly angry, then suddenly smiled.  "I like your assertiveness, Viande," he said.  "Just the kind of attitude I want to see in the next head of our family.  All right.  They will not be punished."

"Good," Viande smiled, satisfied.  He looked back at the scrying glass, and he could now see a tall young man in white robes standing next to Cerise.  "Hey…if I'm not mistaken, that's an Eastern Magic user there."  He glanced over to his father, who nodded, then turned his eyes back to the two people in the glass.  He could see their lips moving, but couldn't hear what they were saying, as the glass transmitted image but not sound.  His brows furrowed and his heart sped up a notch when he saw that the man had his hand on her shoulder, and they were standing very close together.  They looked awfully friendly, standing like that.  He watched for a few minutes more, then felt his heart stop as Cerise turned her face up toward the young man's, and they kissed.  "_WHAT?!_" he screamed, the word veritably bursting from his throat.

"That little tramp!" Lord Mariné roared, for he had seen, too.

"Shut up!" Viande cried, very upset.  "It's not her fault!  He must have her bewitched or drugged or something like that!"  He quickly stuck the scrying glass under his belt again, ran to a set of pegs on the wall, pulled his cloak off, and proceeded to fasten it on.  "This glass is supposed to help me find _where_ something is, as well as show it to me," he said, fastening the clasp at his throat.

"Where are you going?" he father asked.  "The sun is setting!  Night is coming on!"

"I'm going to her, of course!" Viande said, opening the door.  "If I don't find them as soon as I can, who knows what he may make her do?!"  Without another word, he stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

He was gone.

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Augh.  This is later than I wanted it to be.  I should get more on the ball when it comes to writing these chapters.  I'm trying to update every two or so weeks.  Also, I don't know how far it is between Eden and Saint Hordic Mountain (for all I know, they could be a few hours from each other), so I made up a distance.  Hope no one minds if I'm off.  Anyway, I hope you all like this!  Please let me know in either a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	6. Loss of Loved Ones

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

I say all flames will be dutifully ignored, and then I get one that just screams for a response. -_-;;  I got a flame soon after I posted chapter five that seemed rather hastily contrived.  First, they tell me that this story is a Mary Sue, despite what I said about that.  Sorry, Kiddo, but Cerise is neither a "perfect character", nor is she much like me at all.  Second, they call me immature and such for bitching at Blue Pard as I did.  Considering this review was for chapter three, I assume that that is as far as this person read, meaning they didn't see the apology I gave Blue Pard at the beginning of chapter four.  That, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call "jumping to conclusions", which, as we all know, polite society frowns upon (I'm no manners expert, but I do my best).  Neither of those things would have bothered me much, meaning I wouldn't have taken the time to mention it here, except that this little pansy had the gall to not leave any form of identification.  No name, no email address, no nothing.  That really fries my ass.  If you're going to slam someone, at least have the guts to say who you are.  But, I guess leaving anonymous (not to mention pretentious and uninformed) flames makes this person feel real big about themselves.  Loser…

Anyway, now that I've (once again) bored you with my soapbox routine, on with the show.

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter Six:  Loss of Loved Ones 

The Sorcerer Hunters headed for Saint Hordic Mountain.  They had left the inn about two hours ago, and were a little less than three days away from their destination.  Marron had told Cerise that they ought to get there on the evening of the third day.

"Cerise?" Marron asked, looking down at her.  She looked gloomy.  "Do you have something on your mind?"

She looked up from where she was walking beside him.  The Hunters were walking as they normally did:  Carrot leading the way, Chocolat and Tira behind him, and Gateau and Marron behind, Marron a little ahead of Gateau.  The formation wasn't intentional, but it had become a habit after several years as a team.  Cerise, of course, opted to walk beside Marron.

"Oh," she began, looking down again, "I'm not sure if I like the idea of running.  Viande is my friend…I don't like keeping things from friends, much less running away from them.  It just seems so…dishonest."

Marron squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.  "I know it seems like we're running scared, but I don't think that's all Mama has in mind for us.  She just wants us, especially you, to be in a safe place that he won't be able to break into until someone finds away to amend the situation.  I'm sure we'll find some way to make it so everyone's happy with the outcome.  And, if not happy, at least satisfied."

"You're not just saying that, are you?" she asked.  "I haven't known you very long.  I don't know if you're a perpetual liar or not."

Carrot snorted.  "Believe me, he's the worst liar in the world.  You'd be able to tell if he wasn't giving you the _truth_, the _whole_ truth, and nothing _but_ the truth."

"Right, Darling," Chocolat said, poking Carrot hard in the side.  "_You're_ the big fat liar around here."

"Hey!" Carrot yelped, jumping away.

"Anyway," Marron coughed, ignoring the commotion that was heating up at the front of the group, "Carrot's right.  I couldn't lie to save my life."

"So, you really believe that this'll turn out all right?" Cerise asked.

"Of course," Marron nodded.  "And, if you believe something will happen hard enough, it'll come true."

Cerise smiled.  "My mother tells me that all the time," she said.  "She treats it like a life philosophy."

"It's a good life philosophy," Marron said as they rounded a bend in the path through the woods.  "You'll never get anywhere in life if you don't have something to work for and believe in."

"Um, I hate to break up the conversations," Gateau suddenly broke in, "but someone's coming up behind us on horseback, and they're traveling awfully fast."

Marron, Cerise, Carrot, Chocolat, and Tira all stopped what they were doing.  Gateau was right; hoof beats could be heard down the path in the direction they were coming from, and they were getting closer.

"Get to the side of the road," Marron said.  "Stay out of their way.  It wouldn't do to have someone run over."

The Hunters and Cerise moved to the side of the road and walked alongside the trees.  The hoof beats got nearer and nearer, then slowed and suddenly stopped just before the bend the Hunters had just rounded.  The six of them stopped and listened, curious as to what made someone in such a hurry stop.

"Let's see, Cinnabar," the rider could be heard saying, apparently speaking to his horse.  "The scrying glass showed me that they'd be right around here right now…"

Marron heard Cerise squeak beside him, and looked down.  He was surprised to see her look horrified, her hand to her mouth to keep herself quiet.  She suddenly grabbed his sleeve and yanked him into the trees.

"Get off the road!" she cried as loud as she dared to the others.  "Everyone, get off the road!"

Carrot, Chocolat, Tira, and Gateau looked quizzical, but slipped into the trees as well.

Marron stumbled and almost fell as Cerise pulled him along.  He had had enough of this.  He planted his feet firmly and wrenched his sleeve away from her.

"What the _devil_ has gotten into you?!" he asked, straightening his sleeve.

"It's Viande!" Cerise said, her voice high-pitched.  "He's here!  Didn't you hear?  He has a scrying glass!  He knows about you and me!"

Marron looked back toward the road.  "That was Viande…?"  He looked back to Cerise.  "If that's Viande…I thought you said you didn't like running from him."

"I don't!" she squealed, getting hysterical.  "But, he knows about us!  He wants to kill you, I _know_ it!  And, he _hates_ Sorcerer Hunters!  If he finds out what you are, he'll slaughter _all_ of you without blinking!"

Marron sighed.  "I know it sounds crazy, but we shouldn't run.  If that scrying glass can show where something is, then he'll be able to follow us no matter which direction we turn from here.  Running may only anger him, and we can't afford to do that.  I'm sorry, Cerise, but I think it's best we confront him now instead of later."

"Cerise!" Viande could be heard calling through the trees.

Cerise squeaked again, grabbed Marron's other sleeve, and tried to pull him farther into the woods, but caught her foot on a tree root and tumbled to the ground, the sleeve slipping from her grasp.  "Oh!" she cried as she fell, startled.

"Cerise!" Viande called again.  The sound of feet hitting the ground and running toward them could be heard.  Viande had jumped off Cinnabar and was coming for them on foot.  The trees were too close together for a horse to safely run through them.

"Go away, Viande!" Cerise screamed, jumping up.

"_You!_" Viande roared at Marron, grabbing the front of his clothes and propelling him back several feet before they came to a stop.  "You!  You _bastard_!  Let her go!"  He was nearly as tall as Marron, and his build was a little stockier.  He looked about ready to pick up and throw the black-haired mage.

"What?" Marron asked as calmly as he could, though he still sounded a bit defensive.  The other four were moving in on Viande, catching Marron's eye.  "No!" he cried.  "Don't attack!"  He looked back to Viande, lowering his voice again.  "He should be reasoned with in this situation, not attacked.  Now, what do you mean, 'Let her go'?"

"You know what I mean," Viande hissed, shaking Marron once.  "Cerise.  You've bewitched her, haven't you?  _Haven't_ you?!  Else, how could you _possibly_ get her to love you?  She belongs to _me_!"

Marron didn't answer right away.  He was a little stunned Viande thought he had Cerise under an enchantment.  He opened his mouth to speak a moment later, but Viande began speaking again before he could answer.

"Come to think of it," Viande said, sounding suspicious, "what's an Eastern Magic user like yourself doing with _this_ bunch?  I thought your kind generally traveled with each other, not with Parsoners like this."  He surveyed the other four, his eyes narrowed.  "Wait a minute…I sense unusual abilities within you all…now, what would a group of uniquely powered individuals be doing wandering around the woods like this…?"  His fingers tightened on Marron's clothes, and he gritted his teeth, his hazel eyes boring into Marron's black ones.  "You're Sorcerer Hunters, aren't you?  _Aren't_ you?!"

Marron frowned.  That _had_ to be a lucky guess…still, there was no use denying it.  "Yes," he said, trying to sound even.

Hate flashed through Viande's eyes.  "I should kill you—" he began to growl, but was cut off.  His eyes widened, and he suddenly let go of Marron and backed away a few steps.  Marron could see that a faint white outline had appeared around him.  The other four looked just as surprised as him.  They all looked at Cerise, who was standing back away from everyone else.  A white light was glowing between her hands, and she looked at Viande, a sad look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Viande," she said.  "I just can't let you harm them."  She drew her hands farther apart, as if to clap.

"What?!" Viande gasped.  "Cerise, _no_!"

Cerise brought her hands together hard, scattering the ball of light into tiny fragments that burst outward and dispersed into the air and faded.  The banishment spell was complete.

"_How could you?!_" Viande shrieked as he was engulfed in the white light.  The inferno burned for about five seconds, then faded.  Viande was gone, but the echo of his cry still lingered in the air.

"I'm sorry," Cerise whispered again, closing her eyes to keep a tear from falling.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The world spun crazily for what seemed like forever, but he finally found himself sprawled on his back on sloped ground.  He quickly rolled over and pushed himself up to his knees, though he almost fell down again with disorientation.  He looked around.  He hadn't a clue as to where he was.

He jumped up and screamed his frustration and anger at the landscape for a few minutes, then dropped to his knees again, his body shaking.

"Oh, Cerise," he moaned softly, his eyes stinging with tears.  "How could you…how could you _do_ that?  And, to me, of _all_ people!"  He clenched his fists.  "It must be that spell he has on you!  It _must_!  How else could you turn against me like that?!  Me!  Your dear fiancé!"

He managed to hold his tears in check.  After a few minutes, he pulled the scrying glass from his belt, thankful it was not damaged.  He looked into it and willed it to show him Cerise and her captors.  When he saw them, his eyebrows arched downward sharply.  Cerise looked very upset, and she was walking next to the Eastern Magic user.  He had his arm around her shoulders, holding her close as they walked, and seemed to be speaking to her.  Viande felt his blood boil at the sight of him touching her.

He closed his eyes and concentrated.  If one had a strong will, as he did, one could discover how much distance is between them and whatever's in the glass.  "That way…" he murmured a few minutes later, looking to the southeast.  "Almost ninety miles that way…and they're walking away from me."

He suddenly jumped up, the scrying glass clutched in his hand, and took off in that direction.  He hadn't Cinnabar with him, and he'd have to be fast if he wanted to catch up to them, even with the endurance-enhancing spells he had learned awhile back.

_I'll find you soon, Cerise_, he silently swore.  _I'll free you from his thrall if it kills me!_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was relatively silent around the campfire that night.  They had all decided to sleep under the starts, for it was a warm night.  The normally cheery atmosphere the flames gave a small clearing like this one was subdued, however.  Chocolat and Tira had decided to turn in early, and they were lying down in the soft grass on one side of the clearing.  Gateau and Carrot were sitting on one side of the campfire, speaking in voices too low for the two people across from them to catch more than every fourth word or so.

Marron and Cerise sat on the other side of the campfire, very quiet.  Marron sat up straight with his arm around Cerise, and she leaned against him, her head against his chest.  She heard his strong heartbeat, and drew comfort from it.  Her staff was lying on the ground next to them.

She opened her eyes as Marron spoke for the first time since they sat down like this.

"Try to put today behind you," he said softly.  "It didn't go any way near how I'd hoped, but no one's hurt.  Our only option now is to get to Saint Hordic Mountain as soon as we can.  He'll undoubtedly come after us again, and we should try to get past the point Sorcerers cannot cross without an invitation before he catches up.  How far did you send him?"

"I don't know," she said just as softly.  "He was resisting the spell very strongly, and that made the results unpredictable.  I have no idea how far he went."  She sighed.  "I'm willing to bet he thinks I did that because of the bewitchment he thinks you put on me.  He'll hate you even more because of that.  I'm sorry…"

"Mm," Marron replied.  "It's not your fault."  After a few minutes more of silence, he suddenly squeezed her briefly.  "I just realized I don't know much about you.  Why don't you tell me?"

Cerise smiled, glad for the opportunity to get her mind off of today's events.  She began telling him of her childhood, how she was precocious and energetic and always got into trouble for something she did or made some other kid do.  She had little interest in things done indoors for the first several years of her life.  She hated reading and writing, she couldn't sew or do any other type of needlework, and her cooking attempts—mostly sweet stuff, as children had little interest in any other type of cooking at that age—were disastrous.  The Western Magic users assigned to train her had quite a job keeping her in line, but thankfully, they never gave up.  Little by little, they managed to tame her, turning her into a wild, disobedient little terror into a more or less patient young lady, and for the past several years, she had taken to magic training—not to mention indoor activities—much better than before.  She had had a sister two years younger than her that had died five years ago in an accident in a building that wasn't done being built.  She and Fraise had been very close, and her death had hit her hard.  Her demeanor had changed dramatically immediately after Fraise's death, and she was now more downhearted and despondent.  Her reluctance to enter marriage with a man she didn't love contributed to this as their yet-to-be-decided-upon wedding date drew nearer.  She was now very different than how she had started out.

Marron listened patiently, and he tightened his hold on her as she was describing the emotions she had felt from Fraise's death.  He could identify, as he had felt the loss of his mother Apricot very deeply after she died, and he had mourned her for a long time.  The few months following her death was the period of time he had changed from the shy little crybaby he had been as a child to the strong, self-assured, and tenderhearted man he was now.

"And, that's my life story," Cerise finished after speaking for a long while.  "Know enough about me now?"

Marron smiled and nodded.  "Yes.  I hadn't expected such a thorough story about yourself, but thank you."

"No problem," Cerise smiled back.  She looked at the rising moon.  "Now, _you_ tell me about yourself."

"All right," Marron nodded again.  He suddenly stopped and tilted his head slightly, listening.  "Shh," he hissed at Carrot and Gateau.  "Be quiet a moment."  They were speaking very low, like Marron and Cerise were, but it was still loud enough to muddle what he was trying to listen to.

Carrot, Gateau, and Cerise were listening, too.  "Sounds like someone running…" Carrot began.

"…toward us," Gateau finished a few seconds later.

"Oh, no," Cerise squeaked, her eyes widening.

Three seconds later, a shape burst through the trees that surrounded the clearing and skidded to a halt.  He was standing half in the shadows thrown by the trees under the bright light of the full moon, and the dancing shadows from the firelight were moving over him, but they knew immediately who it was.

Viande Mariné.

"Finally," he said, breathing hard.  The endurance-enhancing spells had kept his energy at a pretty good level, but he still looked like he had almost killed himself from the long run.  He had been running at full speed since the middle of the morning, after all.  "I've _finally_ caught up to you!"

"Holy shit!" Carrot yipped, jumping to his feet.  "The cross-country runner from Hell!  Tira, Chocolat, wake up!"

Tira and Chocolat had been jolted awake at Carrot's exclamation, and scrambled to their feet when he yelled at them to wake up.  They were just as surprised to see Viande standing there as Carrot had been to see him come through the trees.

Everyone was on their feet, as ready as they could be at such short notice for an attack.  Marron had pushed Cerise behind him, and had three ofuda cards in his hand, ready to be thrown if need be.  Viande looked at him and sneered.

"It's not _her_ I want to kill, you ninny," he bit at Marron, forming a Magic Missile spell in his hands.

Marron brought the ofuda up in front of his face, his other hand behind them, the fingers held in a formation to call a shield spell.  Magic Missiles weren't the most damaging attack spell, but they hurt like hell.

Viande launched himself forward, meaning to slam the ball of blue-green energy into Marron's chest.

Carrot saw Viande go for Marron and acted without thinking.  He didn't care if Marron had already gotten a shield up or not; all he could think about was protecting his little brother.  Half the hits the Glace brothers took in battle were directed at the other.  They both had this urge to keep each other from harm.

Viande cried out in fury as Carrot suddenly blocked his path.  Before he could stop it, the Magic Missile had hit Carrot hard in the upper chest, neck, and the lower half of his face.  The shorter brother skidded backward several feet.  To Viande's surprise and horror, he didn't seem to have a scratch on him from the attack.

"Tough luck," Carrot chuckled, his voice getting deeper, more guttural.  He felt the magic being absorbed into his flesh, going deep within his body, and triggering one of the twelve animal genes in his body.  "Enemy magic don't hurt me a bit."

Viande clenched his teeth.  Apparently, this skinny little pipsqueak had the ability to change form when attacked.  He didn't have the time to deal with this.  He again surged forward, this time toward Carrot, who was now at least eight feet tall, hairy, and sporting bull-like horns on his head.  Using a considerable amount of strength, he shoved aside the morphing Sorcerer Hunter, ignoring the roar of anger as he tumbled to the side and fell to the ground.  All Viande had in mind was getting to Cerise and Marron.

Marron dropped into a fighting stance, and was just about to cast his own attack spell when Cerise suddenly broke away from him and ran.  Both he and Viande stopped what they were doing.

"Cerise!" Marron cried.  "Where are you going?!"

"Cerise!" Viande shouted at the same time, shoving Marron aside and pursuing her.  "Wait!"

Marron hit the ground hard and lay there a moment, winded.  _Oh, no_, he thought.  _She's drawing him away from us._  A sudden fear of Viande catching up to Cerise and spiriting her away to where Marron would never see her again filled his mind, and he stumbled to his feet.  He pointed toward the now fully changed Carrot and shouted to Chocolat and Tira.  "You girls take care of him first!  Gateau, you come with me!"

"Right," Gateau said, cracking his knuckles before he took off after Marron, who was already running in the direction Cerise and Viande had gone.  He promised he would fight his all to keep Marron and Cerise together, and he had no intention of breaking that promise when it was most needed.

Cerise, farthest ahead of the four running through the woods, had reached another small opening in the trees, and stopped.  The sprint she had just pulled off had drained her energy quickly, and she had to catch her breath.  She whirled around when she heard Viande's voice.

"Cerise!" Viande cried as he entered the clearing, slowing until he was walking toward her.  He held his hands out to her imploringly.  "You must fight the enchantment he has placed on you!  Come back to me!  Please!"

"You're wrong," she said, backing away.  "He doesn't have any spell on me!  I love him—"

"No!" Viande interrupted.  "That's not you speaking!"  He sprang forward and caught hold of her upper arms.  "Please, Cerise…you must fight it…please…"

"Cerise!" Marron cried, coming through the trees, Gateau right behind him.

"You!" Viande growled, turning toward the two newcomers and shoving Cerise behind him.  "Sorcerer Hunter scum…if you die, my Cerise will be free."  He grinned, the magic he began gathering in his hands throwing eerie shadows over his face in the moonlight.  "I'll finish this here and now."

Marron snorted, feeling his own smile spread over his face.  He thought another Magic Missile would "finish this here and now"?  Something like that was _so_ easy to reverse…

Gateau stood back.  He knew that standing too close to an exchange between two powerful magicians could be seriously hazardous to one's health.  His eyes traveled from Marron, who was making ready to catch the Magic Missile and turn its energy into a counterstrike, to Viande.  Wait a minute…that Magic Missile…the light was too green…

"Oh, SHIT!" Gateau suddenly cried, springing forward.  He didn't know what had gotten a hold of him, but he somehow knew in his heart that the one he loved was in grave danger.

"Gya!"  Marron's head spun as he was suddenly shoved backward, Gateau blocking the path of the attack, taking the blast of it upon himself.  He fell flat on his back.  He forced himself up, trying to ignore his scraped elbows.  Gateau was standing very still.  Beyond Gateau, Marron could see Viande and Cerise.  Viande was looking at Gateau with a disbelieving look on his face, and Cerise had an expression of horror, her hands up to her mouth.  Marron got to his feet and ran up to Gateau, thinking, _Why did he do that?  His body is immune to spells like that, but I could easily defend against it myself!_  "Gateau, you didn't need to do that."

"It's a good thing I did," Gateau coughed, turning around.  "If it did this to _me_, I can be sure that _you_ would have been blown away…"

Marron choked back a scream.  In the bright moonlight, he could see a charred, gaping hole in the middle of Gateau's torso.  Blood soaked his clothing, and bits of bone and viscera could be seen through the wound.  It wasn't just a Magic Missile…Gateau had saved his life at the expense of his own…

"G-Gateau," Marron stammered, feeling weak.  "Why…?  Why…?"

Gateau smiled wanly.  "To protect the one I love."  As the last word passed his lips, he fell forward and lay on the ground, not moving.  Marron ran over to him and fell to his knees.  After checking for all external signs of life he could think of, a thin wail came from his throat.

Gateau Mocha was dead.

"Enough of this," Viande growled, drawing a knife from the folds of his cloak and coming down on Marron.  He grabbed his hair and yanked his head up, pressing the sharp edge to his neck.  "You're not worth wasting magic on anyway."  Marron, in shock, could do nothing to stop him.

"No!" Cerise cried, grabbing Viande's wrist.  "Don't kill him!"

"It's the only way to free you from him!" Viande shouted back.

"NO!" she screamed.  "Please!  Spare his life, and I'll come back to you!"  She was desperate.  Anything to save her love from dying…

Viande dropped Marron.  "You mean it?" he asked, a sparkle coming to his eyes.

"Yes," Cerise whispered, nodding.  Her eyes were shut tight.

"Cerise," Marron rasped.  "N-no…"

Cerise knelt down in front of him.  "I'm sorry, Marron," she murmured, tears brimming in her eyes.  "It's the only way to keep him from killing you."  She gently ran her fingers through his hair, laying a gentle kiss upon his lips that brought tears to his eyes and made her own spill over.

"Don't leave me…" he moaned as they parted.  He watched helplessly as she stood and let Viande take her hand and lead her away.  His shock and grief over what had just happened wouldn't allow him to move.

"There's a village near here, I think," Viande could be heard saying as they got to the edge of the trees.  "We can get a ride home in the morning…"  They passed out of sight, and were gone.

Marron sat there for several minutes, his eyes focusing on nothing.  The tears in his eyes would not fall, and a strange calmness had come over him…

"Marron!" Carrot said as he came through the trees, changed back into his normal form.  He held Tira's oversized outer robes around him to cover his nudity.  "What happened?!  We felt Gateau…oh, God…"  He trailed off, the three of them running over to their two companions.  Tira screamed and Chocolat started crying as they discovered their friend and comrade dead on the ground.  "Marron?" Carrot asked, his voice trembling, as he took hold of his brother's shoulders.  He shook him when he didn't respond.  "Marron?!"

Marron's lips parted as if to speak, then his eyes slid closed and he pitched forward with a groan into Carrot's arms.  He had fainted dead away.

High above them, the moon reached its zenith in the night sky.

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Hoo boy…loooooooooooooooooooong chapter.  I couldn't break up the events into two chapters easily, so I stopped trying.  Don't expect the rest of the chapters to be nearly this long.  It may happen once or twice, but I highly doubt it.  I really hope none of you want to strangle me for killing Gateau.  I really do like the guy (his advances on Marron are some of the funniest bits in the manga! XD), but it just seemed fitting to me that his last action would be to save the one he loved from a similar fate.  I mean, he cares about those around him very much, and I get the idea that he'd rather die himself than see anyone else get killed.  I also said in the summary that loss of life was one thing Marron has to deal with in this story.  Please don't hurt me! *ducks flying objects aimed at her head*  Also, let me know how you like this chapter in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!  Just don't rail me out for killing Gateau…I've already apologized for that.  Cry all you want to me about it, if you feel like it, but please don't call me a dumbass or a bitch for doing it…


	7. Family Bonds

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter Seven:  Family Bonds 

Saint Hordic Mountain.

The Sorcerer Hunters had come home to the hidden village situated in a secluded valley.  Marron had been out for several hours after that disastrous encounter in the forest clearing, and didn't come fully awake until the next morning.  He barely ate, despite the others' efforts to get him to, and then sat down on the ground under a tree, seeming to fall asleep sitting up.  It wasn't until much later, when he finally opened his eyes and spoke, that the other three realized he had been in a trance, gathering his energy and magnifying his magic.  He had been concentrating for a teleportation spell, which he knew how to do, but was very difficult and exhausting for people who didn't specifically train for it.  He had little use for it and hardly thought of it, focusing more on learning and practicing attack, defense, and healing spells.  Teleporting a group instead of just himself was even trickier.

When he finally was ready to cast the spell, the four of them and Gateau's body disappeared and then reappeared as far up Saint Hordic Mountain as was possible.  Wards put up to keep the village secret and Sorcerers out wouldn't let them teleport to the village itself.  There were people waiting for them there, as in his trance, Marron had sent a mental alert to anyone listening that they would soon come, and that they needed help getting a body to the village.  He had hoped to God that his plea would be heard, and was relieved to find that it had been.

He had collapsed again as they appeared on the mountain, his energy completely spent.  The next thing he knew, he was in his own bed at the Glace residence a few hours later, his father sitting in a chair on his left and his brother standing over him on his right.  Gateau had been buried the day after they arrived, but Marron did not attend the funeral.  He had witnessed his violent death; to see his burial would have been too much.

He had barely come out of his room for the five days since they arrived.  He seemed to be in deep shock, for he had not only lost his best friend, but the woman he had so quickly found himself in love with had been taken away only a few minutes later.  If someone else was in the room with him, he barely spoke, if at all, and seemed to hear what they said to them even less.  He had barely eaten at all, and from the looks of him, hadn't been sleeping much, either. Everyone was worried.  Mama had sent a message conveying her deep sadness from the recent death, and that the Sorcerer Hunters should stay in the village for as long as it took Marron to recover, as he had been the one hit the hardest.

Carrot found himself staring at the outside of Marron's door, contemplating if he should knock or not.  Marron had hardly seemed to notice him all the other times he had come in, and he was wondering if leaving him alone for a while would be better.  He was just about to turn away when the sound of breaking glass inside the room reached his ears.  Alarmed, imagining the worst, he grasped the knob and opened the door.

Marron was standing by the small reading and writing table on one side of the room, shattered glass and water on the floor by his feet.  Tira and Chocolat had brought in a glass and a pitcher of water a little while ago, hoping he would at least drink something, worried that he was most likely becoming dehydrated.  He looked up, regarding Carrot with dull eyes as his older brother came through the door.

"The condensation on the outside of the glass made it slip from my fingers," he said flatly, almost in a monotone.  He reminded Carrot of those being controlled by some malevolent puppet spell.  "There is no need for you to be alarmed, Carrot…"  He was speaking very softly as well, and Carrot found he almost couldn't understand him, even in the otherwise silent room.

Carrot looked at him a minute, then came fully into the room and closed the door.  Marron was wearing all black, the mourning color, a stark contrast to the all-white he usually wore, and the clothes he was wearing looked like he had been in them for at least three or four days.  His long hair looked like it hadn't been brushed for quite a long time, and there were dark circles under his eyes, standing out very sharply against his pale skin.  If Carrot looked closely, he could see Marron was shaking from lack of sleep and nourishment.  He had obviously been neglecting to look after himself since they got here.

"There is too a need for me to be alarmed," he replied, his voice much more serious than was normally heard from him.  "You're a strong and healthy man, Marron, but keep treating yourself like you have been the past several days, and you'll end up killing yourself."

Marron sighed and turned, walking toward the bed.  "I am fine, Carrot," he said, sitting down on the edge of the mattress.  "I don't need your concern.  I—"

"Yes, you do!" Carrot interrupted.  "If you don't start eating and sleeping right again, you'll waste away into nothing!"

"I said, I am fine, Carrot," Marron said again, looking at Carrot through the hair that fell over his face.  "Please, leave if all you're going to do is rail at me how I'm 'killing myself'."

Carrot felt a rush of anger at those words.  "You idiot!" he cried.  "You think the rest of us don't care for you?!  You think having you die on us would be easy for us to take?!  We've already lost Gateau!  We don't want to lose _you_, too!"

Marron quickly stood up and went to the window, standing with his back to his brother, looking out.  Carrot noticed he was gripping the windowsill tightly.

"Sorry," Carrot said quietly.  "I didn't mean to upset you.  But, you have to realize that you should take care of yourself."  He had walked over to Marron, and placed a gentle hand on his back between the shoulder blades.  "You're my brother, Marron…I can't help but worry, and I've been worrying about you so much, that I feel sick sometimes."

"I-I know," Marron said, his voice thin, "and I appreciate it, but…I…"  His knees gave out, and he slowly began to sink to the floor.  Carrot instinctively caught him, not wanting him to hurt himself, and lowered him down to his knees on the floor.  He realized with a shock that Marron was crying.  "I just can't make myself take care…!" Marron whispered shakily.  "I lost two of the most important people in my life only a few minutes apart…I feel like I want to die myself!"

"I know you do," Carrot said, holding his younger brother in a tight hug, hoping it was reassuring.  "But, you have to fight your way through this, recover from your sorrow.  None of us want to lose you, too, Marron.  I'll do everything I can to help you, and I know everyone else will, too.  Don't throw your life away like this.  There is still so much more I know you want to do with your life.  Please don't cast the chance to accomplish those things aside like this."

Marron made a halfhearted attempt to dry his eyes, though more tears soon followed.  Carrot's serious side rarely came out, and it was usually in times of crisis or trauma for either him or those he cared about.  Marron was extremely grateful for Carrot's presence at that moment.  He let his tears flow quietly, running down his cheeks and either dripping off his chin or running down his neck to dampen his high collar.

"C'mon," Carrot said after several minutes.  "Let's get up on the bed.  You'll be more comfortable there."

Marron nodded and let Carrot pull him into a standing position.  He walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, but before Carrot could do so, he swung his legs up onto the mattress as well and lay down, his head resting against the feather pillow lying near the headboard.  The bed hadn't been made in several days, so it looked quite askew.

Carrot sat down on the edge about level with Marron's waist.  The thought that he may be able to get Marron into a decent sleep tugged at his brain.

"I can't do this alone, Brother," Marron murmured, his voice still shaking, tears still making their way from his eyes.  "Ever since…Gateau died and Cerise left, I've felt so empty.  I feel like…I feel like my insides are gone, like my soul has left me, like everything important to me has gone.  I-I know that's not true…I still have you and Father and everyone else, but…I just can't get myself to even try to recover…"

Carrot nodded, taking Marron's hand and squeezing it.  "You know I'll always be here for you, Marron," he said.  "So will Pop and Tira and Chocolat and Big Mama and everyone else.  If you need anything, you just have to ask.  We'll all help you through this, no matter what else comes to pass.  You're our top priority right now, and you will be until you've pulled out of this."

"You promise…?" Marron asked, a pleading look in his deep black eyes.  The veins in the whites were beginning to stand out from the tears, and he looked and sounded almost timid.  Carrot was strongly reminded of the shy, easily upset little boy Marron had started out as.

"Yes, I promise," Carrot replied, squeezing Marron's hand again.

"Thank you, Brother," Marron said softly.  It was silent for a few minutes after that, and Marron suddenly yawned, making Carrot smile.

"I'll bet you're exhausted," the older brother said, hoping to lighten the mood a little.  "You should get some rest.  It's not good to not sleep well for as long as you have."

"Yes," Marron said, "I should.  And, you're right; I am exhausted…I haven't been able to let myself sleep much since we got here."

"Let yourself sleep, then," Carrot said, standing up.  "You'll do that, won't you?  For me, if nothing else?"

Marron nodded slowly.

"Good," Carrot said, smiling again.  "Maybe after you wake up, you should go take a bath?  I always find a bath helps me out of a slump, and I bet it'll help you, too.  Besides, Marron, you haven't taken those clothes off for at least four days, right?  I'm sure you feel at least a _little_ grungy by now."

Marron managed a small smile.  Carrot was right.  After five days of doing virtually nothing, he did feel like a rat's nest, and knew Carrot's suggestion of a bath making him feel better was probably right on the money.

"You oughta eat a good meal, too," Carrot continued.  "Get your energy up again.  And…"  He looked around the room, which was far from messy, but could stand a cleaning up.  There was that broken glass on the floor, the unmade bed, the clothes Marron had arrived in abandoned on the floor, and such.  "Maybe get your room straightened up?  It'll feel good to be active again, and this room won't exactly take a lot of time to clean up, but it's better than nothing."

Marron felt his smile widen, and realized his tears had stopped.  This was so odd.  It was usually him giving Carrot advice, not the other way around.  The circumstances here were rather unusual, but still…Carrot was much more mature and level-headed than was normal for him.

"All right, Brother," Marron said.  "I'll do as you suggest."

"That's my little brother," Carrot grinned, ruffling his hair much like he did when they were kids.  "I'll leave you alone now."  A moment later, the door clicked shut behind him.

Marron lay there a moment in thought, going over the conversation in his head.  A few minutes after Carrot left, he closed his eyes and willed himself to relax, letting sleep slowly overcome him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that day…

Marron knelt on the ground in the village graveyard, his eyes downcast.  This was the first time he had visited Gateau's grave.  In fact, it was the first time he had set foot outside since coming to the village.  His hair was still a little wet from being washed, and his scalp still tingled a bit from working the snarls out of his hair.  Carrot had been right.  After a good sleep, a bath, giving his room a cleaning, and eating a regular meal, he felt much better on the outside.  He was still aching severely on the inside, but the grief was still much too immediate to be alleviated.  He had done what he could for now.

He reached out and ran his fingers lightly over the letters carved into the gravestone, reading and rereading them over and over and over again.  He felt his eyes sting again, and the tears began to fall.  He had requested he be alone, and the others had respected that wish, and were waiting for him to return back at the house.

"I'm so sorry, my friend," he whispered, his tears falling onto the soil of the new grave, grass not yet having had a chance to start growing in the days since it was dug.  He said nothing more, letting his tears convey his sorrow, his tall and slender form hunched over.  His long hair fell over his face, and a few tears were caught, disappearing into the fine, pitch-black strands.

He knelt there a long time, grieving openly.  Finally, as the sun set and night began to creep over the mountain town, he stood up and started off toward the village proper, walking slowly.

He had no idea where or how far Viande had taken Cerise.  He may have no chance of finding her, and even if he did, the Sorcerer would do everything in his power to keep him away, perhaps opting to kill him before he had a chance to do anything.  Marron had the power and ability to fight off and kill many individual Sorcerers in the world, but he had sensed exceptional power in Viande, and Cerise had told him that her fiancé was expected to surpass the average Sorcerer easily.  Plus, the strength and wrath of Viande's jealousy made him very dangerous, regardless his level of power or skill.

_And, I am a Sorcerer Hunter_, Marron though, nearing the house.  _I must always put my work ahead of my personal wishes.  I willingly took that commitment, and there's no way I can back out.  Being a Sorcerer Hunter is too important to me, no matter how much I want to find Cerise._  As he opened the front door and entered, watching as everyone inside turned to look at him, he made a promise to himself.  He could not abandon his duties as a Sorcerer Hunter, but he would spend as much time and effort as he possibly could until he found Cerise again.  The task was daunting, so many factors coming to play to decide how difficult finding her would be, but he swore to himself that he wouldn't give up.

"Marron?" he heard his father say, and looked up.  Onion was standing a few feet in front of him, looking down into his face.  "Are you all right, Son?"

"Yes, Father," Marron nodded.  "I'll be all right."

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Augh!  This chapter is _so late_!  I haven't updated this fic or "The Sacred and the Profane" for _weeks_!  The holidays got in my way, and I've just now been able to start writing again!  I'm so sorry for keeping you all waiting! *bows apologetically*  Plus, I don't know if this chapter is my best work. ;_;  Please tell me what you think!  I hope some of you are kind enough to try to boost my opinion of this! *crosses fingers and hopes people like chapter*  I got really stuck on some parts, and felt like giving up until another day, but I had kept you guys waiting for too long already.  Let me know what you think in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!  Oh, and if you read TSatP, too, or you know someone who does, I'll probably write a new chapter for that one this next weekend (the weekend of the seventeenth of January), hopefully having it posted by Sunday.


	8. Marketplace Meeting

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter Eight:  Marketplace Meeting 

Cerise Mariné stirred as the sun broke over the horizon, its first rays spilling in through the glass French doors that opened to a balcony and falling over the bed she lay in inside the room.  The warmth and light roused her from her sleep, and she opened her eyes a crack.  She closed them again immediately as she stared directly at the sun, and rolled over so she could see.  Again, she opened her eyes, and this time gazed upon the sleeping face of her husband.

Viande Mariné, the man she had been married to for two years.  He lay perfectly still in the bed beside her, his breathing soft and steady.  He looked so young and innocent as he slept, so gentle and kind.  When she watched him sleep like this, she almost believed she could love him.

She reached out and brushed her fingers through his hair, sighing as she once again remembered that she could never return his love.  Try as she might, she could never think of him as more than her childhood friend.  He sighed softly as her fingers smoothed over his cheek, tracing his jaw and then withdrawing.  He loved her, and he always tried his very hardest to make her happy, to give her everything she needed or desired.  She sighed again and sat up.  The one thing she needed and desired most, he could not give her.  He didn't even know about it, still under the belief that Marron had bewitched her.  She didn't want to hurt his feelings, and so hid her discontentment as best she could.  She wanted to hide from him the fact that she wanted free of him to live and love as she wished.  To save Marron's life, she had gone to Viande willingly.  It would only upset him greatly if he found out she had lied to him.

She pushed back the covers to the bed and got up and stepped into her slippers, the warmth of the sunlight through the glass doors beginning to warm the room.  A small shiver passed through her as she walked to the wardrobe, but she paid it no mind.  As she passed by the full-length mirror, though, she stopped and looked at herself.

Her looks hadn't changed much since she had married Viande, except for two things.  Her blonde hair, which grew very quickly, was quite a bit longer and braided in a single braid down the back to keep it from snarling as she slept.  She lowered her gaze to the other thing, visible through her long nightgown.  She put her hand on her middle, over the child she was four months pregnant with.  It was to be her and Viande's firstborn, and she felt a bittersweet emotion wash through her whenever she thought on it.  The sweetness was because it was her baby, and she couldn't help but feel a mother's love.  The bitterness, however, was that it was fathered by Viande and not a certain long-haired Sorcerer Hunter…

She closed her eyes and shook her head, vehemently breaking off her thoughts.  If she kept thinking of such things, she may come to resent the child, condemning it to have a cold and uncaring mother.

She continued past the mirror, not giving her reflection another look.  When she reached the wardrobe, she opened it, pulled out the pale green bathrobe that matched her fuzzy green slippers and shrugged it on.  After tying it closed, she went through the French doors onto the balcony that overlooked a flower garden.

Leaning on the railing, looking out over the nearby town of Sucra, which nestled against the base of the high hill this mansion was situated on, she closed her eyes and breathed in the crisp morning air.  This was her favorite time of day, when the world was waking up again after its nightly slumber.  The night insects were finishing their songs, and the melodies of the early-morning birds were taking their places.

In two years, she had advanced greatly in her study of Western Magic.  Viande, opposed to his father's opinion that it was dangerous for a Parsoner with her potential to study magic, had allowed her to continue her pursuit of her chosen path with little question.  She had gotten a new staff, as her first one had been left in the woods with the Sorcerer Hunters, and the stone at the top had changed colors and shades several times, and was now dark blue.  Dark blue was about one-third of the way to black, the color indicating the staff owner had achieved mastery.  Most Western Magic students that managed to reach mastery did so in their mid-forties to mid-fifties.  Advancement got harder and harder as you went along, and the color changes—which indicated the current level of knowledge and skill—got less and less frequent.  The vast majority of Western Magic users never reached the top.  She often found herself wondering if she was one of the few that had what it took to reach the status of master, and what she would do if she did.  If and when that happened, she would have been training all her life, and would suddenly find herself not needing any guidance or advice from others.  The idea was intimidating.

She stood there for a long time, her chin propped on her hands as her elbows rested on the balcony railing, letting her mind wander.  Kind, warmhearted black eyes kept breaking through her thoughts, no matter how much she tried to keep them away, and she eventually gave in and allowed herself to focus on him.  She hadn't seen him for two years, and she wondered how he was doing now…

For several minutes, her thoughts swirled around the name and memory of Marron Glace, the man she met and fell in love with so quickly…it seemed so long ago, and so far away, though.

A hand clasping her shoulder, gentle as it was, startled her.  She gasped and jumped, spinning around.  Viande stood behind her, the last vestiges of sleep lingering in his eyes.  "I'm sorry," he said.  "I didn't mean to frighten you."

Cerise put a hand on her chest, inhaling and exhaling deeply, trying to calm herself and her pounding heart.  She didn't think she was so deep into her thoughts that she wouldn't notice him come up behind her.  She'd have to keep that in mind the next time she let her mind wander.

The look of apology disappeared from Viande's face, and he smiled.  "Good morning, Cerise.  Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," Cerise responded, "I did.  Did you?"

Viande nodded and answered in the affirmative, then fell silent, watching her.  His hazel eyes seemed to be searching for something, but she hadn't noticed.  She had turned around and was looking out over the town again.  This was the first time in a long time that she had allowed herself to think about the love she left behind, and a sharp sadness had settled within her.  It happened like this every time she let her thoughts travel to him, and she avoided it as much as possible.  Viande stood there silently for several moments, looking at her back, then again reached out to take her shoulder, this time using both hands, one on each shoulder.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you…?"

Cerise barely forced down a gasp, her eyes widening.  Was it really _that_ obvious?  She stayed perfectly still as he drew her back and into his arms, hugging her from behind.  His head was bowed forward, so his lips were close to her left ear.

"Don't dwell on him," he whispered.  "Don't think of him.  I won't _let_ you think of him…he'll only pull you in again."  He took a deep breath, giving her a squeeze.  "He'll only poison our love again."

Our love.  _Our_ love.  He always spoke of his desire for her as if she returned it.  Indeed, she wanted him to think so, to spare his feelings, but something in his voice didn't sound right this time.  She knew he dreadfully wanted to believe that she really had been enchanted by a meddling Eastern Magic user, that the love she felt for Marron really had been false, and had been broken when she made the decision to leave him.  But, there was a tremor in his voice this time.  Was it…desperation?  Was he having doubts?  He was an intelligent man, and she always knew in the back of her mind that her ruse would eventually come crashing down, but she dreaded that day, and wanted to postpone it for as long as she possibly could.

"Cerise?" he asked.  "Did you hear me?"

She half turned in his embrace and met his eyes.  As she gazed into the hazel-brown depths, she felt dismay creep over her.  He did indeed have a spark of insecurity shining far back in them.  He was beginning to realize that all was not right with his wife's feelings, and he was desperately trying to quell his suspicions.

"Yes," Cerise answered.  "Yes, I heard you just fine."  She closed her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her, accepting and returning the kiss, not wanting to do anything to feed his doubts.  But, now, she felt like her reciprocation was inadequate, transparent, like he could see though her ever since they married.  She had a sudden urge to get away from him.

"Cerise?" he asked again.

"I'm fine," she responded.  She gently disengaged herself from his arms.  "I feel like going into town today.  I want to visit the marketplace and let myself disappear in the crowd.  It's been so long since I've done that, and I'm starting to feel lonely up here on this hill."  It had indeed been a couple months since she had gone to town just to wander the streets and mingle with the crowd like she had all the time as a little girl.  It was a good enough excuse to distance herself from her husband for a few hours.

"All right," Viande nodded, pushing back his recent unease.  "Would you like to go by yourself, or have me come with you?"  He knew that she sometimes liked to be alone when she went to town, and he never asked questions about it when she did.  He trusted his wife, like be believed any man should, so he never felt the need to ask questions.  He understood that she was a pensive young lady, and didn't want company on all her outings.  It was the truth, so Cerise never felt guilty when telling him so.  She didn't want to lie to him any more than she already was.

"I'd like to be alone," Cerise replied.  She opened the wardrobe again, this time to look for clothes to wear today.

About an hour later, she was dressed and ready to go.  She used to take about ten minutes to get ready for the day, but not since she married Viande.  As the wife of a Sorcerer, she had to look "presentable" when going out in public, especially since she herself was a Parsoner.  Most of Viande's relations turned up their noses at her, not wanting to associate with her.  They didn't care that Viande's father had arranged the marriage because of the potential their children could have.  They saw she was a Parsoner and thought she should be way below Viande's interest, almost as if she wasn't even human.  At least looking like a Sorceress, minus the contrary triangle on the forehead, kept them from openly scorning her presence in the family.  She looked herself over in the mirror, then decided she looked all right.  She always dressed as Parsonerish as she could while still staying in bounds of what was "proper" in the Sorcerer community, as she didn't like having to dress up to keep the family happy.  Viande sympathized with her, and for that, she was grateful.

She pushed those thoughts out of her head as she walked down the winding path that led to the town, opting to go on foot this time.  She wondered what sort of sights she would see in the marketplace today…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Marron, are you sure you wanna do it this way _again_…?"

Marron looked over to Carrot, who was finishing breakfast in the common room of the inn they were staying in near the center of this town called Sucra.  Marron had already finished his, and was standing near a window.

"Yes, Carrot," Marron replied.  "I've answered that question several times already now."  Their group of four was getting a break from their Sorcerer Hunter duties, and Marron was taking the time to search for Cerise.  Carrot had come along to give his younger brother a hand, but Tira and Chocolat had gone to Saint Hordic Mountain for a little rest, as their last job had given them a hard time.

Carrot swallowed the last of his pancake and put his fork down on his plate, picking up his glass of milk and taking a drink.  "I know you want to find out if the Sorcerer that lives up on the hill is Viande Mariné," he said, putting the glass down again, "but why don't you just _ask_ somebody in town who the Sorcerer is?  If you don't and we go up to check it out and then find out it's _not_, we've just wasted time we could have spent looking somewhere else.  I mean, we can't just waltz up to the mansion and ask who lives there.  Viande or not, I don't think the Sorcerer would accept two Sorcerer Hunters very cheerfully.  We're gonna have to do a little sneaking if you wanna find out who lives there."

Marron sighed.  "If we ask around who's living up there," he replied, looking back out the window, "then the Sorcerer will hear of it, of course.  Sorcerers are extremely paranoid, and they always have lackeys around the towns they live near to report if any strangers are looking for them.  The report will no doubt include what we look like.  And, if it is Viande living there, he will most likely know who we are and do everything in his power to keep us away.  I want to delay a confrontation between us as long as possible.  We have to keep a low profile until we know whether or not it's him up there."

Carrot sighed and downed the rest of the milk.  Marron was always the brother that thought things through more thoroughly and took more precautions, but he was being a little ridiculous now.  In fact, every time they found a Sorcerer's mansion that they didn't know who owned, they went through the same exchange of words.  It was getting old, and Carrot thought they probably would have found Viande and Cerise by now if they had done things his way, but he always came along to help Marron, not tell him how to operate.  Still, he harbored the thought that maybe it was _Marron_ who was paranoid.  He was "taking precautions" and "thinking things through" way more than he used to, and this only happened when they were looking for Viande and Cerise, never on missions.  On missions, he was the same as he ever was.

_No, that's wrong_, Carrot thought.  _He's different than before, but not if you're not looking for it.  It's all underneath, except for the clothes he wears._  After Gateau's death and the loss of Cerise, Marron had worn almost nothing but black Parsoner clothes for several weeks.  He had since gone back to wearing the attire of an Eastern Magic user, but it was all black, not all white like it used to be.  Eastern Magic users normally wore white, but they also wore their distinctive clothing style in any other color, so what Marron was doing was not so unusual.  What worried Carrot was that he chose to wear _black_.  Marron tried to convey that he had gotten his life back on track, but the wearing all black all the time seemed to object to that.  It was as if he had never gotten out of the mourning period.  Of course, Carrot may be drawing conclusions in the wrong places for the wrong reasons, but the thought wouldn't leave him alone.

There was also the uneasiness Marron's eyes gave him.  Ever since childhood, the younger Glace brother had always had a meditative shine in his eyes.  He was much more of a thinker than Carrot, and it wasn't unusual for him to be literally lost in thought, and all the others could do was wait for him to snap out of it on his own.  However, for the past two years, Marron had had a darkness in the back of his eyes, overshadowing that meditative shine.  It made him look perpetually sad, deeply depressed sometimes, and it was present even when he smiled the most genuine smile.  It was as if all his thoughts were centering around the fates of Gateau and Cerise, and Carrot knew that dwelling on such things for this long was unhealthy.  Trying to find Cerise was all well and good, but letting his sorrow take over his life was not.

_He blames himself for what happened_, Carrot thought, looking down at his empty plate.  _And, no matter how we try to tell him otherwise, he won't believe a word we say._  After a few moments more of silence, he stood up and walked over to Marron's side.

"Come on," Carrot said, nodding toward the door.  "Let's go to the marketplace and people-watch.  I don't like the sight of my little brother acting all depressed like you are.  In fact, you do it all the time, and I'm getting sick of it."

Marron let a smile grace his fair visage.  Carrot was never an eloquent speaker, but he knew his older brother was just trying to cheer him up.  He was grateful for that, he followed Carrot out without protest.

It was still relatively early, so the marketplace wasn't as crowded as it would be in a few hours.  Carrot kept talking, wandering from this subject to that.  He wanted to keep Marron's attention and not let him start getting all doom-and-gloom again.

"Cerise and I ran into each other in a marketplace before I brought her to meet the rest of us," Marron said softly when Carrot paused.  He chuckled slightly.  "Literally.  I had just turned a corner, and she came charging into me before either of us knew the other was there."

Carrot smiled, thinking he wished he could have been there to see that.  It wasn't often Marron was caught off-guard and floored like that.  He let his eyes scan the crowd, wondering if there were any particularly pretty girls out this morning.  His eyes fell on a young blonde lady, her hair done up in braids and her dress looking like it would fetch a pretty penny.

_Hmm_, Carrot thought, _I wonder if she's already taken._  After being beat up by enough boyfriends and husbands, Carrot had finally gotten it through his head to at least steer clear of the women who were already with someone.  He felt a prick of disappointment when she turned a bit and he noticed she was four or five months pregnant, and he looked back up to her face…

"Uh…Marron…?" he said, not taking his eyes off the girl, but reaching over to his brother and snagging his sleeve.  "Look over there…do you see who I see?"

Marron looked over toward the girl Carrot was pointing at and felt his insides freeze up for a split second.  Was…was it really her…?  Yes!  Yes, it was!  He had found her…after two endless years, he had finally found her!

By chance, Cerise glanced over in their direction, meeting surprised black eyes.  She stopped dead in her tracks and gasped.  "Marron…!"

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  I almost made this chapter late, too. -_-;;  Sorry.  I hope I get back into my writing routine soon.  Anyway, do you like this chapter?  I, for once, don't have much to say, as I didn't have anything extra before the chapter, and I don't have anything to ramble about after the chapter.  Surprising, huh? ^_^;;  Anyway, let me know what you think in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	9. Truth and Lies

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter Nine:  Truth and Lies 

Cerise sighed.  _How did this happen?_ she thought.

She was at the present moment sitting in a chair in a room in an inn near the center of town.  Across from her sat Carrot Glace, and behind Carrot, standing against the wall, was Marron.  When they had first laid eyes on each other out in the middle of the street at the marketplace, neither Cerise nor Marron knew how to react.  Cerise, on the inside, was pleased as punch to see Marron again, but she was also anxious.  What if Viande found out he was here?  Worse, what if he found out that she had gone with him and his brother to speak privately?  She just knew he would get the wrong idea.

Marron had seemed taken aback at seeing her.  It was obviously as much of a surprise for him as it had been for her.  Although, she had an unexplainable feeling that he had been seeking her out, and had just not expected to see her in the street.  Both had looked each other over awkwardly, not saying a word for the first few minutes while Carrot stood there looking lost.  Then, suddenly paranoid that someone would see them and know instantly what was going on, she had shooed the brothers into an alleyway and asked if there was someplace to speak without unwanted observers.  A few minutes later, they had ended up back here.

Carrot seemed the one calmest in the situation.  He was just along for the ride and expected Marron to take care of things.  However, neither Marron nor Cerise could find many words to say.  They weren't even looking at each other at the moment.  She felt no bitterness toward Marron, of course, as she was the one to make the decision to part ways.  She could sense no bitterness from him, either, his silence seeming to be more a product of apprehension than anything else.  It seemed that he wanted to see her, but didn't know what to do or say now that he had.  He loved her, yet she was married to another man and four months pregnant with that man's baby.  Anyone would be at a small loss for words, if not a complete loss for words, if they found out something like this.  Marron expected she would be married to Viande, but that didn't mean he'd be happy to see her so.

"Well?" Carrot said, making them both look at him.  "We came here to talk privately, or at least you two did, so are you going to talk or just sit in silence all day?"  Marron lowered his eyes a bit, perhaps a little embarrassed.

Cerise sighed.  "Yes, Marron…do we have anything to speak of?  If not, I think I should go.  I would love to stay with you a while, but I don't want to risk any suspicions that may reach Viande's ears."  She wanted to stay with him more than a while, but she knew she couldn't.  She hoped her voice didn't sound too clipped or forced.

"I don't want you to go back to him," Marron said quietly, not meeting her eyes.

"Y'know, I should have done this in the first place," Carrot said suddenly.  "I'll leave you two alone."  With that, he left the room.

Cerise heard the door click shut, then looked up to Marron again.  He hadn't moved from his spot against the wall, and his gaze seemed trained on the tabletop in front of her.  "I know you don't want me to go back to him," she said quietly.  "In fact, I'd rather I could stay with you, but it wouldn't be wise.  He would kill you, and you know that.  To spare your life, I'm willing to be with him.  It's why I…left you in the first place."  She looked him over yet again.  He was still thin and wiry, his hair perhaps a tad longer, but his white clothes had vanished, replaced by pitch black with a little gold trimming here and there.  She wondered if this had any significance.

"I've been looking for you these past two years," he said after a moment, still not looking up at her.  "I had the idea in my head to find you, then fight Viande to get you back.  But, the moment I saw you out there, everything in my head seemed so rash and foolish, maybe even stupid.  Like you said, he won't give you up easily, and you're better off with him.  You have a good home and social station, plus a husband that won't leave you alone.  I live a transient life, going from place to place with little or no warning.  Yes, I call Saint Hordic Mountain "home", but I'm hardly ever there.  And, my line of work is very dangerous.  I could go on a mission one day and never come back.  I'd rather spare you the same pain I felt when my mother left this world."  He paused a moment, then continued.  "You're right, Cerise.  It wouldn't be wise, and I'd rather let you live a more consistent and secure life than what I have to offer you."

She had listened to him in silence, watching him.  There was something in his voice…he was forcing the words, knowing he should say them but wanting so much not to say them.  He was lying to her.  Now she knew what Carrot meant that Marron couldn't tell a lie to save his life.  If you just listened to his voice, it was obvious.

"Marron," she began, "I don't think you really mean that."  The smartest thing would be for her to accept his words without question and leave, but she hated the idea of him lying to her.

Marron's shoulders dropped a little, as if he had let out a breath he had been holding.  "I know," he said, resigned.  "I was never good at not telling the truth."  He finally looked up at her, and she almost balked at the darkness she saw in his eyes.  She was sure it hadn't been there before.  "I was partly telling the truth, however.  I _do_ believe that it is best you stayed with him, and that my intentions are irrational, but I don't care.  The truth is, I want to tear him apart for taking you away, but I won't.  I suggest you do what's wise and leave before I change my mind."  There now was a bitter edge to his voice, but it wasn't directed at her.  More, it was directed at himself and Viande.

She didn't move.  "Why are you so restrained, Marron…?" she asked slowly.  "Your brother once told me that you were prone to fits of rage if you loved ones were threatened, and that even you had a hard time controlling them.  Why so calm now?"

He looked away again.  "I'm not all sure, myself," he answered.  "Perhaps it is because if I followed through with my impulses this time, I would sentence you to a harder and less certain life than you have right now, and I don't want to do that.  Please…go, Cerise."

Again, she remained where she was.

Silence reigned for a few minutes.  Eventually, he pushed himself up off the wall and walked over to a bed.  He and Carrot were sharing this room while they stayed in Sucra, and there were two twin-sized beds.  He sat down on the one nearest Cerise, bending his knees and resting his heels on the part of the wooden frame that stuck out about an inch from under the mattress.  He rested his folded arms on his knees, his head bent forward, making his hair fall over his face.  He still didn't say anything, waiting for Cerise to make the next move.  Finally…

"Marron…do as you wish.  If you want to take this up with Viande, I won't stop you.  I don't want to stand between you two if you are going to have a fight.  I don't want to lose either of you, but…it should be fair.  I would just get in the way."  She took a deep breath.  "Viande has been my best friend since I was a child, and I don't want to see you kill him any more than I want to see him kill you.  But…I won't make your decision for you."  She stamped her foot a bit.  "Oh, I sound so stupid!  I'm not making any sense!"  She stood up and walked over to him, sitting down next to him, ignoring the way he tensed up slightly as she did so.  "Do you get what I'm trying to say?  I don't want to lose either one of you, but I will, be it you or him.  If you walk away or get yourself killed, I lose you; if you go up there and kill him, I lose him.  Don't let me interfere in this matter.  I'll only make it worse."

He turned his head toward her, looking at her through his long black hair.  "I may be the worst liar in the world," he said, "but I can also tell a lie from a mile away.  You're being awfully mature and levelheaded about this, Cerise."  He was blunt and to the point.  He didn't feel like making it sound pretty at the moment.

She stared back at him, speechless for a moment, then turned away, adopting a similar position to his as she felt her eyes sting.  "All right, I admit it.  I _want_ you to fight him.  He's my best friend, but I love _you_.  I want to be with _you_, and he took me away.  If you kill him, I would quickly forget any sadness I would feel from seeing him die."  She sniffed, rubbing at her eyes to keep the tears from falling.  "I'm a _horrible_ person for feeling like this!"

He shook his head and sighed, "No, you're not a horrible person.  You're only human, Cerise.  Everyone finds themselves in a situation like this once or twice in their lives."  He put a hand on her shoulder.  "In the back of my mind, I knew pursuing you was a very selfish thing, but I did so anyway.  There's no shame in giving into one's weaknesses every so often."

She sniffed again and blinked several times, feeling the hotness and stinging in her eyes subside.  She put her feet back on the floor and leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder.  He put an arm around her hesitantly, and she accepted his half embrace readily.  "If…if you win this," she said quietly, "will you be a father for my baby…?"

She felt him nod.  "Of course I will," he answered just as quietly.  Again, they sat in silence, Cerise leaning against him with her eyes closed, Marron deep in thought, deciding if he should follow through with his desire to battle Viande or not.  Finally, after nearly an hour of contemplating, he stood up.  "I better go find Carrot and let him know where I'm going."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Viande put the book he was reading down.  This was very odd.  Reading was one of his preferred pastimes on quiet days like this, but he hadn't gotten very far at all today.  In the past half-hour, he had read this one paragraph maybe ten times, and he still couldn't remember what he had just read.

"Something's not right," he muttered to himself, sitting forward and laying the book down on the small, low table in front of him.  "Something's…wrong."  An uneasy feeling was nibbling at his brain, but he couldn't place it.  He hadn't forgotten anything, and had gone all the way around the house to make sure.  He didn't have anything to do that needed immediate attention, so that wasn't it.  Many times, his thoughts had fallen on Cerise, but he waved it off.  She had just gone down to visit the marketplace.  There wasn't anything to worry about; she did it all the time.  If she was somehow hurt, there were many people who knew her and would offer assistance.  It wasn't just her station that they recognized her for; she had gone out of her way to be a genuine friend to the villagers.  Many of Viande's Sorcerer relatives turned up their noses at this, but propriety be damned, as far as he was concerned.  Cerise could do whatever she pleased with her fellow humans.

Unless, of course, those fellow humans were Sorcerer Hunters.  Before, he hadn't given Sorcerer Hunters much thought, knowing that his family—or at least his immediate family—wasn't doing anything that would merit the Sorcerer Hunters' attention.  But, since that little fiasco two years ago, he had felt a distinct dislike toward them:  not just the five involved, but the whole lot of them.  He supposed it was childish to hold a grudge against the entire organization for one squad's misbehavior, but he didn't really care.  Sometimes, he wished Cerise hadn't talked him out of killing that tall one with the long black hair.  He was the one that had caused the most trouble.  But, no matter.  That one had been sufficiently dealt with.

_What _is_ this feeling?_ he mused over and over again.  _I can't figure it out._  Not knowing the source of what was bothering him was something that annoyed him most.

A knock sounded at the door, and he stood up.  Crossing the bedroom floor, he took hold of the door handle and pulled it open.  A maid stood there.

"I beg your pardon, Milord," she said, "but Milady has returned, and she brought someone along to see you."

"Oh?" he said.  "Where are they?"

"They are coming in a few minutes, Milord.  She said for you to wait here."

Viande nodded and dismissed the maid.  That was a little odd, bringing a guest to the bedroom.  Wouldn't it be more acceptable to bring them to the tearoom?  Still, if she wanted to receive this guest here, he didn't see the harm in it.  He went back to the chair he had been sitting in and waited.

Soon, he heard her footsteps in the hallway outside, heralding her approach.  The doorknob turned, and he stood up as she entered.

"Cerise," he smiled affably.  "Welcome back.  I hear you brought someone to see me?"

Cerise averted her eyes and nodded.  "Yes…he's right here…" she said so softly that he almost missed it.  Was that a note of guilt he heard in her voice?  Impossible!  But, still—

When said someone stepped into the room behind Cerise and came around her so he was standing in front of her and to her right, the smile quickly left Viande's face.  He hadn't seen this man for over two years, but he recognized him instantly.  They stared each other down for what had to be only a few seconds, but it seemed like hours for Viande.  He finally shifted his gaze back to Cerise.  She was looking at him again, but shrank away when their eyes met.  Viande felt a feeling of anger and betrayal welling up within him.

"What is this…?" he hissed, unsure if his anger was directed at Cerise or the Sorcerer Hunter.

"This," said the Sorcerer Hunter coldly, "is your last day alive."

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Hmm…it may just be my imagination, but this chapter seems a little short.  Ah, well…not every author can write big long chapters.  Some of my friends have chapter stories with really long chapters.  I, on the other hand, prefer the shorter ones.  Like I needed to tell you that.  I'm sure you figured that out on your own. ^_^;;  Length aside, I hope you like this chapter!  Let me know what you like or don't like (be nice, though, if you have complaints) in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	10. To End It All

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Chapter Ten:  To End It All 

Dead silence.

"What did you say…?" Viande finally asked, his voice low and dangerous.  Rage was shining in his eyes, and he looked very close to losing it.

"I said," Marron repeated, "that this is your last day alive."

"Oh, it's the last day alive for one of us," Viande said coldly.  "I'm not too sure that I'm the one it's referring to."  He looked over at Cerise.  "Get over here, Cerise."

Cerise didn't move.

"I _said_, get over here!" Viande snapped, almost yelling.

Cerise still stayed where she was.

"She doesn't want to go to you," Marron said flatly.

Viande's eyes darted over to Marron, but then ignored him, stepping forward.  He reached out toward Cerise, meaning to take her wrist and pull her behind him.  Marron, who was closer to Viande, quickly put himself between the two, making Viande stop short.

"Get out of my way, Sorcerer Hunter!" Viande hissed, glaring daggers at Marron.  "Get away from her!  She's _mine_!"

"I repeat, she _doesn't_ want to go to you," Marron replied steadily, the deadly gleam in his eyes replaced by an eerie calmness.  He tilted his head slightly.  "And, she is not _yours_.  She is nobody's but her own.  She will do as she pleases."

" 'As she pleases'," Viande echoed with distain.  "_How_ can you say that?!  _You_, who bewitched her into thinking she wants you!  You have no _right_ to say she can do as she pleases!"

"I haven't bewitched her, charmed her, or anything else of the like!" Marron retorted.  "Get that through your head!"

"Liar!" Viande shouted back.  "Prove it!"

"Viande," Cerise said quietly, very quietly.  "He's done nothing to me.  There is no spell or curse or hex or anything else on me that has altered my wants.  I am thinking for myself."

"_Shut up_, Cerise!" Viande cried, stopping his ears.  "You don't know what you're saying!"

"Viande…"

"That's _enough_!" he roared.  He looked at Marron again.  "You.  Do you know swords?"

Marron nodded.  He didn't swordfight often, but when he did, it was as if he practiced every day.

"Good," Viande spat.  "That's how we'll settle this.  I stand by my first judgment.  You're not worth wasting magic on."  He walked over to where two swords were hanging crossed on the wall and pulled them down.  As he turned around to throw one sheath and all to Marron, however, his opponent had already summoned the Hamato to his hands, and had pulled the ancient blade from his scabbard.  Viande smirked, hung one of the blades back on the wall, and unsheathed his own sword.

"Stay back, Cerise," Marron said, pushing her back a bit, ready for an attack.

Viande shook his head.  "Not here."  Without warning, he launched himself at a side window, his weight forcing it open, and disappeared.

"What?!" Marron exclaimed in shock.  It was as if Viande had chosen to fall to his death down the sheer drop on that side of the house than face Marron in a fight.  He ran to the window and leaned out.

"Up here," a voice said, and Marron looked up.  Viande was standing on the edge of the roof above him, the point of his sword on the shingles like the end of a cane.  He was looking down on the Sorcerer Hunter with a confident grin.

Marron looked back to Cerise.  "Stay here," he said, and exited the same route Viande had.  A few seconds later, he was standing five feet to Viande's right.

The young Sorcerer turned to face his opponent.  "I look forward to a good fight," he said with another sardonic smile.

Marron eyed him.  "I have never enjoyed killing people, even if they are the worst of tyrants," he said slowly.  "I am willing to spare you if you release Cerise from being your wife.  If you love her as you claim to, you would do so.  A loving husband wants what makes his wife happy, does he not?"

"Quiet," Viande growled.  "What's your name?"

"Marron Glace," Marron answered.

"Well," Viande said with the negligent air of an overindulgent Sorceress, "I know what to put on your gravestone…"  With that, he brought his blade to bear.

Marron sighed and did the same.  He had had a feeling Viande wouldn't accept his offer.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cerise watched Marron go out the window, and wavered.  Should she follow?  She could get up there as easily as either of the men could.  Then again, being four months pregnant, if she got herself hurt up there, she wouldn't be the only one in danger.  Also, she hated watching fights, even if they were staged and friendly.  This fight was definitely not staged or friendly.  But, the two opponents were the two men she cared most about in the world…

Voices scattered by the wind could be heard as she argued with herself, but her thoughts were interrupted with a loud _clang_.  The swords had just clashed together.  The fighting had started.  A morbid fear of those sounds sudden welled up within her, and she ran to the window and slammed it shut, doing so with such force as to make the glass panes rattle.

"Oh, God, what do I do…?" she asked the room around her, her voice shaking.  Her eyes were burning, and she was trying her hardest not to cry.  She had told Marron that she wouldn't interfere with his decision, whether he came here to fight Viande or walked out of her life forever.  But, now that he had come and declared that Viande would die, a terrible feeling of fear and remorse was swirling through her veins.  Those two men fighting on the roof would not stop until one of them was dead, and she would be devastated no matter who it was.  True, it would be worse if Marron died, but losing Viande was almost as bad.

A thought struck her, and she tensed up in horror.  What if they killed each other?  What if the victor was too wounded to survive much longer than the loser?  What if, through some freak accident, they both took a tumble off the roof?  Off one side, they would fall three stories to the gardens and possibly hit one of the large landscaping boulders that had been placed for maximum aestheticism.  Off the other side, they'd fall more than one hundred fifty feet off a sheer drop.  The front of the house faced a gentle slope down to the village, but the back perched on an almost vertical cliff.

She walked over to the bed and threw herself facedown on it.  She could still hear the sound of fighting faintly, and she plugged her ears, shutting out the noises altogether.  In the back of her mind, she was glad they had picked swords instead of spells.  A magic battle could endanger the surrounding area, even the village at the foot of the hill.  Yes, Viande's reasoning was that Marron was too low to "waste magic on", but at least it saved the vicinity from substantial damage.

_Oh, hell, that doesn't matter!_ she mentally berated herself.  _What do _you_ care about the surrounding area?  You're going to lose one or both of the two men you want most to live!_

She suddenly unstopped her ears and pushed herself up.  Did she just hear a cry of pain…?

"Oh, God," she muttered in horror, running to the window and yanking it open.  The fighting sounds had stopped.  Her heart pounding wildly against her ribcage, she climbed up on the windowsill and jumped out.  As the two men before her, she cast a quick levitation spell, elevating herself up to the rooftop.  Even before her feet touched the shingles, she was glancing frantically around for Viande and Marron.  She found them right up at the top of the roof.  Marron was standing up, his feet on either side of the ridge formed by the meeting of the two halves, and Viande was about ten feet away, kneeling down.  As she ran up to them, she saw Marron's sword was tinted red, and Viande's lay several feet away, the cutting edge caught on a broken shingle.  Both men were disheveled and breathing hard.

She stopped a few feet below them, closer to Marron than Viande, afraid to go any closer.

"One last chance, Viande," Marron said, his voice low.  "Let her go, or I kill you!"

Viande was hunched over, one arm supporting him while the other wrapped around his middle over a long gash.  Cerise couldn't tell how deep it was, but it was bleeding badly.

"Why are you doing this…?" Viande asked quietly, a hint of desperation in his voice.  "Why do you insist on tearing us apart?"

"Because, you don't _belong_ together!" Marron replied.  "You two were meant as friends, not any more than that!  _I_ am the one meant for her!  _You_ are trying to keep _us_ apart!"

"You _liar_!" Viande screamed.  "I love her!  _She loves me!_"

"Viande," Cerise ventured, very quiet.  "I love you, but not as a wife should.  I think of you as my dearest friend, nothing more.  Marron speaks the truth:  I want to be with him."  Her voice shook as she said this.  She felt like she was reading Viande his death sentence.

"That's not true…!" Viande tried to cry.  It came out as a thin whine, his emotions taking over.  "That _can't_ be true!"  He hit his fist down on the roof so hard, Cerise heard the bones pop.

"If you truly love her," Marron began, "you will let her go.  You should only wish for her what makes her happy.  You should be willing to sacrifice what you want in favor of what she wants.  That is true love."  His voice hardened.  "Instead, you insist on keeping her, claiming she is _yours_, ruining her quality of life for your own selfish desires.  That is not love.  That's merely gross possessiveness."

Viande was very still, his hair shading his eyes, utterly silent.  For several minutes, he knelt there, not saying a word or making any other signs that he heard them.  Finally, he moved, slowly pushing himself up onto his feet…

Just as he laid his eyes on Marron, his world spun crazily.  As he placed his foot down on the slanted surface of the roof, the sole of his shoe failed to grab the gritty sandpaper-like surface of the shingles, and he slipped.  A yelp was forced from his throat as he landed hard, but his motion didn't stop.  He half-rolled, half-slid toward the edge.

Marron swore and threw the Hamato down, inadvertently embedding its point in the rooftop.  He ignored Cerise's cry of dismay as Viande began to fall, and then her pleas to him to stop as he darted down after Viande.  He could very well send them both over the edge with his speed and recklessness.  Somehow, he managed to get a hold of Viande's arm, but found himself pulled down as well.  Instinctively, he threw his other arm out, seeking something, anything, to grab onto.  Finally, they skidded to a stop as Marron's added weight was enough to thwart gravity, arresting their progress down the slope of the roof.

His skin aching with something akin to but much worse than rug burn, Marron pushed himself up, not letting go of Viande's wrist.  His loose hold abruptly tightened as Viande's first movement made him slip again, sending him over the edge.  He had stopped right on the edge, and was now dangling over the fatal drop behind the house.  The only thing keeping Marron from going over as well was his reflexively grabbing the stone gutter.  The bones of his upper and lower arm jammed together as his stiffened arm took on his full weight.

He gritted his teeth.  "Come on," he said.  "Help me pull you up!"  He braced himself and, ignoring the pain in his body as much as he could, began to slowly haul Viande up onto the roof again.  Viande grabbed onto the edge when he was able and added his strength to the effort…

"Viande!" Cerise cried.  She had made her way down the roof much slower and more cautiously, but was now right next to Marron.  She took a hold of Viande's other arm, pulling him up as well.

"Cerise," Viande whispered, his eyes locking on hers, his voice little more than a whisper.  He was halfway onto the roof now, and could support his own weight, though Marron and Cerise hadn't yet let go.  They stared into each other's eyes for an endless moment, emotions and words passing between them unsaid.  Finally, a sad smile slid across Viande's scratched and chafed face.

He let go.

Both Marron and Cerise cried out in horror as he slipped his hands out of theirs and let himself fall.  Cerise instinctively threw herself forward in an attempt to grab his hand again.  She would have joined him in his fatal fall if Marron hadn't quickly put his arms around her and pulled her back several feet from the edge.  She stared in disbelief at the spot Viande had been only seconds before, tears stinging her widened eyes.

"He did it…he really…did it…" she murmured, her entire body beginning to tremble.  The reality of his suicide slammed into her, and she burst out into tears, screaming her rage and grief to the sky.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Guys!" Carrot called a second before he burst through the door of the inn room.  "Did I hear right?  The Sorcerer's dead?"

Marron had pulled one of the chairs out from the table and was sitting in it, Cerise standing in front of him and dabbing at the severe shingle burn on Marron's face with a medicated cotton ball.  Cerise looked very sober and subdued, and Marron, aside from the occasional wince, was stone-faced.  Neither had the spirits to cast a healing spell at the moment.

Cerise nodded numbly.

"You killed him, then?" Carrot asked Marron.

Both flinched.

"No," Marron said flatly.  "He killed himself."

"Killed _himself_?" Carrot repeated, surprised.  "Why?"

"Neither of us wish to speak of it right now," Marron said, the slightest hint of sharpness in his voice.

"Oh."  Carrot knew how to read the tones of his brother's voice, and now was not a good time to push him.

"Carrot," Marron said after a few minutes, "please make sure all our stuff is together.  We're leaving for home early tomorrow morning."

To be continued… 

**Author's Notes:**  Sorry about this being two weeks late.  However, I was very busy two weeks ago, and that only compounded the writer's block I had with this chapter.  As a result of the writer's block, I don't know if this chapter is my best work, but it will suffice.  There will be a (probably short) epilogue chapter after this, and since I'm done writing "The Sacred and the Profane", I'll probably write and post that next weekend.  Knowing my ability to follow my update schedules, however, I advise you not to get your hopes up.  Please tell me what you think of this chapter!  This whole story, if you've only recently discovered it!  Let me know in either a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


	11. Something Special

**Author's Notes:**  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Chestnuts and Cherries By Annie-chan Epilogue:  Something Special 

It was a gorgeous spring day, perfect for uplifting her mood.  She had been suffering lately from what the midwife called "postpartum depression".  It felt good to been in high spirits again.  She shifted her new baby in her arms, holding it in a more comfortable position as it dozed in her arms.

She was sitting at the base of a tree in a small wooded area near the Hidden Village, the sounds of the little town nearly drowned out by the sounds of nature.  Twenty feet to her right was a drop-off, and beyond it was a majestic view of the surrounding mountain range.  She would have loved to grow up in the mountains like this, and was glad her children had the chance.

"Mama!"

She looked off in the direction of the village, and saw the little boy who had called out to her running toward her.

"Amande," she smiled and said when he got to her.  "You know better than to run so near the cliffs."

"I know," her son answered quietly, looking down.  Often, a kind reprimand was more affective than a scolding; this boy was so eager to please.  Cerise wondered if she'd be so lucky with her second child, currently sleeping away in her arms.  Probably not.  Nothing so good ever happened twice in a row.

"Now, what's so important that you have to come running to me with the news?" she asked, shifting the baby girl, Maïs, again.

"Papa's been looking all over town for you!  He finally sent me out to look for you here!  He's got something special for you!" Amande said, all in a rush.  He was suddenly excited again.

Cerise sighed and shook her head slightly.  It wasn't her birthday, a holiday, or their wedding anniversary, so this was probably a gift just for the sake of giving it to her.  She told him time and time again that he didn't have to do that for her, but he insisted on doing so anyway.  He was really too kind to her.

"All right," she said, standing up, being careful so as not to wake Maïs.  "Why don't you take me back?  _Walking_," she added as her son started to run.  The boy slowed to a walk, and she followed.

As she often found herself doing, she realized she was watching Amande closely.  The little five-year-old looked almost exactly like his father, with her blue eyes.  He looked nothing like his surrogate father, and she knew that he would eventually perceive this and question the significance behind it.  He was a bright boy.  It wouldn't slip past his notice for long.  Sooner or later, he would have to be explained to about his parentage and the story behind it.  All she could do was hope and pray that he took it well.  This wasn't a normal case of a father dying and a mother remarrying, after all.

_What will he think?_ she found herself thinking.  _What will he think when he discovers or is told that his father took his own life?  Death already disquiets him…it may be a very hard blow for him._

She shook her head hard.  This is no time for such thoughts.  That will be dealt with when the time comes, so no dwelling on it now.

They were at the edge of the village now, and Amande suddenly took off running again.  Before Cerise could call out for him to stop, she saw why he was running in the first place.  He had stopped when he had come to a tall, slender figure about half a block down.  It was Marron Glace.  She quickened her pace as well, though still walking, and had soon come to the two.

"Cerise," Marron smiled softly in that manner that seemed so irrevocably his, pulling her into a firm embrace.  Cerise let herself be held, and Maïs was squished between them.  It wasn't enough to hurt the baby, but it was enough to wake her up, and she gave an indignant whine.

"Aww…" Cerise cooed as Marron chuckled and released her.  "I'm sorry, Sweetie…"  The little girl with the fuzzy black cap of hair blinked in the sunshine.  She recognized the soothing nature in her mother's voice and calmed down, happy not to be squished anymore.

"I'm so glad you're feeling well, Cerise," Marron said, gently touching her cheek.  "You recovered so much faster this time than the first."  He was referring to childbirth.  When Amande was born, the labor wasn't dangerous, but it was very difficult, and by the time the little boy was born, she had been through more than twenty-four hours of birthing pangs, and was thoroughly exhausted.  She had been noticeably weak for almost three weeks after that.  With Maïs, however, the labor was hardly eleven hours, and now, only about two weeks later, had been feeling normal for several days.  Her fears of a repeat experience from the first time were unfulfilled, thankfully.

Cerise nodded, holding Maïs against her breasts as the little girl started to doze again.  "Now, what's this about something special for me?"

Owari 

**Author's Notes:**  There you go, a really short epilogue.  There's really no point to it, except to tie things up.  It's also posted later than I'd hoped, but that can't be helped, unfortunately.  I'm horrible at following my update schedules, and I apologize for that.  I hope everyone likes this epilogue.  Please tell me what you think of it.  If you've recently discovered this fic, tell me how you like the whole thing, if you will.  Let me know in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!


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